What’s in Proposition 5?
During the November election, voters will weigh in on Proposition 5. If passed, it would allow the Vancouver Police Department to hire 13 officers. That represents a major reduction from last year’s failed proposal to raise money for 80 officers and 36 non-officer positions. The tax levy is expected to raise $6 million annually for the next six years.
“While we have pulled our request back somewhat in terms of the number of people, I think this is a more methodical approach,” Vancouver Police Chief Troy Price told OPB in August.
Proposition 5 funds would be used primarily to fund officers, as well as equipment they would need, like squad cars, body cameras and computers. Some of the money would also pay for the Vancouver city attorney to prosecute misdemeanor cases that could grow with an increase in officers.
Why are there so few police officers in Vancouver?
Vancouver ranks on the low end for police officers per capita compared to the rest of Washington state, according to 2024 FBI data. There are two main reasons why, according to Vancouver City Manager Lon Pluckhahn: population growth and local tax funding.
Vancouver’s population grew faster than the rest of the state in recent years and police officer hiring didn’t keep up.
Matching that population growth with officer hiring is challenging because of a Washington state law that caps annual property tax increases used to pay for public services. Originally approved in 2001, Initiative 747 requires voter approval on any property tax increase above 1%.
“With a 1% growth limitation on property taxes from year over year, and costs growing at three or four percent, sometimes it’s all the city can do just to stay even, let alone look at adding additional personnel,” Pluckhahn said.
Vancouver’s biggest revenue sources — property and sales taxes — are used exclusively to pay for police and fire services, Pluckhahn said.
Hiring 13 new officers is a first step forward.
“That will move us up the ladder a little bit. It certainly does not get us to where we want to be,” he said.
The same property tax limits have constrained deputy hiring at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and for public safety across the state. In an April presentation to the county council, officials with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the agency was experiencing “critical understaffing” and needed 90 new deputies and 24 non-sworn staff over the next six years.
For years, Washington has ranked last nationally when it comes to police officers per capita, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.
Vancouver Police Department, West Precinct, in Vancouver, Wash., June 29, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
Other law enforcement investments
While the public safety funding picture in Clark County is generally bleak, local police leaders had one recent bright spot. Earlier this year, Gov. Bob Ferguson and the Washington state legislature allocated $100 million for police departments around the state.
Vancouver is expecting to be able to fund another 12 officers with its share of the state investment, in combination with a local sales tax increase that is required to qualify for the state funds. According to Pluckhahn, an application process for the state money is currently being developed.
What will Prop. 5 cost Vancouver residents?
Proposition 5 is described as a levy “lid lift.” That means for it to pass, voters must “lift the lid” of the 1% annual property tax limit set by Washington law. If a majority of voters approve the levy, it would increase property taxes by $0.15 per $1,000 of assessed value. That translates to a $75 annual increase on a $500,000 home, according to the city.
The levy language specifies that an exemption is available for qualifying seniors and veterans based on age, disability or income level, according to Clark County’s property tax exemption program.
