Tax Increases Should Require Broad Support
Tax increases have real consequences for Clark County families and businesses. With the cost of housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and nearly everything else rising, government should meet a higher standard before asking taxpayers to pay more.
Amendment 25 creates a simple safeguard: a minimum two-thirds vote of the Clark County Council would be required to approve a new councilmanic tax or increase one. It does not prevent the County from raising revenue when needed. Instead, it requires Councilors to build broad agreement and make a strong case before increasing the tax burden on Clark County residents and businesses.
Requiring broader support encourages cooperation, careful consideration, and greater accountability. Tax increases are consequential decisions, and requiring broader agreement ensures they receive the scrutiny and consideration they deserve.
Clark County taxpayers work hard for their money. Government should meet a higher standard before asking them for more.
Vote APPROVED on Amendment 25 and require broad support for future tax increases.
Amendment 25
Frequently Asked Questions
What Amendment 25 means for Clark County taxpayers and why tax increases should require broad support.
Why should tax increases require a supermajority?
Clark County families and businesses are already feeling the squeeze from rising housing costs, utilities, insurance, groceries, transportation, property taxes, and other expenses. Local taxes and levies can add to that burden year after year. Amendment 25 creates a simple safeguard at the county level: before the County Council adds a new councilmanic tax or increases one, it must earn support from at least two-thirds of the Council. When taxpayers are already being asked to stretch their budgets further, government should have to build broad support before asking them for more.
What if Clark County genuinely needs additional revenue?
Amendment 25 does not ban tax increases or prevent the County from responding to genuine needs. A new councilmanic tax or tax increase can still be approved with support from at least two-thirds of the County Council. The Council can also vote by a simple majority to place a tax increase on the ballot and let Clark County voters decide. Amendment 25 simply requires broader support when the Council chooses to raise taxes without voter approval.
Will a supermajority requirement hurt public safety?
There is no reason it should. Pierce County and the cities of Spokane and Yakima adopted supermajority requirements for tax increases more than a decade ago, and all three have continued to maintain more commissioned law enforcement officers per capita than Clark County. Their experience shows that requiring broader support for tax increases and maintaining strong public safety staffing can go hand in hand.
Could a minority of Councilors block a tax increase?
Yes. That is an intentional feature of a supermajority requirement. Amendment 25 does not require unanimity, but a simple majority could no longer impose a new councilmanic tax or increase one on its own. If a majority of Councilors believes an increase is necessary but cannot reach the two-thirds threshold, they can still place the proposal on the ballot and let Clark County voters make the final decision.
Why put this protection in the County Charter?
The Charter establishes the fundamental rules for how Clark County government exercises its powers. Amendment 25 does not set tax rates or dictate spending priorities. It establishes a durable rule for how the Council exercises its taxing authority. Councilors and political majorities will change, and the size of the Council could change, but the minimum two-thirds standard will remain.
Join the Supermajority!
