SEQUIM — A sales-tax increase in the city of Sequim could appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, thanks to a list of funding-starved street projects.
The Sequim City Council voted 6-1 Monday night, with member Walt Schubert the lone dissenter, to start the process of forming a citywide transportation benefit district.
A transportation benefit district is a taxing district designed to generate revenue for road widening, new traffic lights, sidewalks and other street improvements across Sequim.
The sales-tax increase, if approved by voters, would be 0.2 percent, added onto the 8.4 percent already tacked onto non-food items.
The hike could shovel $600,000 into Sequim’s coffers, said Ken Enns of Gray & Osborne, the consultant Sequim hired to study ways the city could foot the bills for street improvements.
The city can reap that money sooner rather than later, if it hurries the measure onto the November ballot, said Councilwoman Susan Lorenzen.
“If we don’t . . . that’s a lot of missed revenue,” she added.
