April 14th, the Pullman City Council voted and approved a sales tax increase aimed at stabilizing the Pullman Police Department’s budget as the city grapples with a multi-million-dollar shortfall.
The approval raises the local sales tax rate by 0.10%. This move follows a new Washington state law passed last year that allows local jurisdictions to increase taxes specifically for criminal justice funding. To qualify to even request for this jump, Pullman PD personnel had to complete nearly 2,000 hours of specialized state-mandated training.
Since approved by the council, the tax is expected to generate approximately $625,000 annually for the department. If the jump takes effect as planned on July first, it would bring in an additional $200,000 for the remainder of 2026.
The city’s push for new revenue comes as officials work to bridge a massive budget gap. On the spending side, the city has already slashed its operating budget by more than $2 million through staff and service reductions. On the revenue side, the council recently approved a 6% increase in utility rates, a decision that previously split the council.
This brings the total sales tax rate in Pullman to 8.2%. This follows a similar 0.10% increase approved by the Whitman County Commissioners last month to fund the sheriff, prosecutor and courts. While that countywide spike already impacted Pullman residents, this new approved idea is an additional local layer specifically for the city police.
