Kelso city leaders are moving toward a new, targeted sales tax increase aimed at paying for public safety and related criminal-justice costs.

At its meeting the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, the Kelso City Council approved a motion directing staff to draft an ordinance for a one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) local sales tax for public safety funding, according to a Jan. 21 report by KLOG’s Griffin Sauters.

In practical terms, a 0.1% sales tax equals one penny per $10 spent.

What council voted on (and what it didn’t)

The council action was not a final adoption of the tax. Instead, the motion sets a “path forward” by instructing staff to prepare an ordinance that council could later vote to adopt.

Councilmember Keenan Harvey asked for the public discussion item and raised the idea of an advisory vote—a nonbinding ballot question meant to gauge voter support. KLOG reported that councilmembers debated whether a vote was necessary, noting that an advisory measure could cost roughly $2,500 to $5,000 to place on the ballot.

Under state law, a city may impose certain local option sales taxes by ordinance, and may also choose to condition the tax on voter approval. (See RCW 82.14.525.)

Why it’s being proposed now

KLOG’s report tied the push to fiscal pressure on the city’s criminal-justice system. Kelso Police Chief Rich Fletcher told council the city faces what he described as an “impending crisis” related to paying for defense counsel for misdemeanor cases prosecuted in Kelso.

According to the report, Fletcher said projected defense-counsel costs could exceed $1 million per year over a 10-year period.

How much money could it bring in?

Kelso Finance Director Brian Butterfield told council that similar 0.1% public safety taxes have generated roughly $260,000 to $400,000 annually for a city, according to KLOG.

For residents, the immediate impact would be modest on small purchases but would add up over time—especially for households already strained by high costs for rent, food, and utilities. Because sales taxes are broadly applied, they tend to hit lower-income residents harder as a share of income.

Local context: voters recently rejected a separate roads tax

Harvey reportedly argued that voters may view public safety differently than transportation funding. KLOG referenced a separate proposed 0.2% sales tax for roads that was recently rejected by voters.

That comparison is likely to shape the politics of what comes next: whether the council proceeds with an ordinance alone, asks voters for an advisory read, or puts a binding ballot measure before Kelso voters.

What happens next

The next step is for city staff to produce the draft ordinance that council requested. The timeline for a final council vote—and whether any ballot measure is pursued—was not settled in the report.

We will update this story if and when the draft ordinance is published in a future Kelso council packet and as council debates the details of how the revenue would be restricted, tracked, and reported to the public.

Sources