PUYALLUP, Wash. — Puyallup residents will vote this upcoming election on whether or not the city could finance the construction of a new police station, jail and municipal courthouse on 3.5 acres of land in South Hill.
If the $82 million proposal is approved, it would be paid for through an increase in city property taxes amounting to about 64 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
For example, owners of a home with an assessed property value of $350,000 would pay another $222 per year. Some exemptions would apply to those homeowners who are 61 years or older, disabled or are low-income residents.
The additional tax would represent about a 5.7% increase to the property tax rate in Puyallup, which includes fees for various things like the Port of Tacoma, public transit and various fire districts. The tax would go from roughly $11.31 per $1,000 of assessed property value to about $11.95.
So, owners of a $350,000 home would go from paying $3,958 a year to paying roughly $4,180.
The city is proposing the new construction due to what it calls “significant tell-tale signs of failing infrastructure and costly maintenance.” The new building would also consolidate the police station, jail and courthouse into one building.
The current police station and jail, which is across State Route 512 from the courthouse, was built over 50 years ago and designed to house 23 police officers and 21 inmates. The city says this building is overcrowded with current demands, adding that the current Puyallup police force is four times the size of the building’s capacity.
The Puyallup City Council unanimously approved the proposal, but opposition to the new construction points to the tax increase as unfair and unjustified.
The statement against the proposal adds that no estimates of the operating costs have been presented to residents and suggests the city contract out jail services to other entities like Pierce County.
However, the city argues that contracting out jail services could mean that Puyallup police lose control of who it arrests and that those arrested for misdemeanor crimes may not be booked due to overcrowding or restrictions out of the city’s control.
Ballots for this year’s election have already been mailed out as of Oct. 15. All ballots must be postmarked or dropped into an official election drop box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 2.