The November ballot proposes an increase in sales tax to help maintain unincorporated Jefferson County roads 

During the November elections, residents will see a local ballot measure that proposes a 0.2% increase to the Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales tax in unincorporated Jefferson County. This tax would sunset after 10 years and could raise around $1 million annually for transportation improvement projects. 

A TBD sales tax generates revenue specifically designated to support and improve transportation-related initiatives and projects within the area. For unincorporated Jefferson County, this revenue will go toward pavement preservation treatments and markings, bridge maintenance and repairs, drainage repairs, safety-related items and signage, according to the county’s website. 

Although the increased sales tax applies within unincorporated Jefferson County boundaries, anyone making purchases, including visitors and tourists, contributes to the sales tax.

A 0.1% TBD sales tax was first introduced and approved by the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners in January. If the November measure passes, this sales tax will reach 0.3% — sitting atop of Washington state’s TBD sales tax threshold — matching Port Townsend, which implemented the TBD sales tax in 2024. If the measure is approved, a consumer’s $100 purchase would be taxed an additional 30 cents. 

Although the majority of Port Townsend voters supported the tax, “Many city streets had already badly deteriorated, making the costs to rehabilitate them so much higher,” wrote Monte Reinders, the county’s public works director. 

The proposed increase is intended to help address a deficit that has been growing since 2011, Reinders said. That year, the County Road Fund began losing approximately $1 million annually due to cuts from a federal act that once provided timber revenues for local roads.

While the initial 0.1% TBD sales tax revenue helped, there are 15 years of inflation to be accounted for. 

“This means that things are anywhere from 55% to 100% more expensive that they were in 2011. Effectively, we are operating with $3,000,000 to $4,000,000 less per year (adjusted for inflation) than we were in 1998,” Reinders said. “The TBD last year barely put a dent in this deficit.”

Alongside the loss of federal support, staffing has decreased by 20%, and the pavement preservation program and other services have seen a reduction since 2011, Reinders added.

“These cuts are showing up on our roads now, and people are noticing,” Reinders said.