Drafter
Clerk 09/16/2009
Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the use of the additional sales and use tax of one tenth of one percent for the delivery of mental health and chemical dependency services and therapeutic courts to be consistent with Chapter 551, Laws of Washington 2009, Section 2; making technical corrections; and amending Ordinance 15955, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.08.318, Ordinance 15949, Section 4, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.33.020 and Ordinance 15949, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C. 4.33.030.
Body
PREAMBLE:
In 2005, the Washington state Legislature authorized counties to implement a one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax to support new or expanded chemical dependency or mental health treatment programs and services and for the operation of new or expanded therapeutic court programs and services. The initial statute providing for this tax, which is RCW 82.14.460, did not permit the revenues to be used to supplant existing funding. King County authorized the one-tenth of one percent sales tax in 2007 via Ordinance 15949.
During the 2009 legislative session, Washington state legislators approved a change to the state statue, modifying the non supplantation language of the law. The modification allows the one-tenth of one percent tax revenue to be used to supplant funds for mental health, chemical dependency, and therapeutic court services and programs. Supplantation is allowed for five years, beginning in 2010 and ending by 2015. Beginning in 2010, up to fifty percent of the one-tenth of one percent tax revenue collected can be used to supplant lost funds. There is a ten percent reduction to the amount of funds used each year, ending at ten percent in year 2014.
2009 brought unprecedented financial challenges to King County, including a ninety-three-million-dollar general fund deficit and declining one-tenth of one percent sales tax revenues of more than thirteen percent than budgeted amounts. 2010 sales tax revenue forecas...
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