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Proposed mental health tax fails to get motion for vote

March 2, 2020

A proposed 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax increase to fund mental health and chemical dependency programs failed after no members of the Lakewood City Council were willing to make a motion to call for a vote.

After a short discussion around the options before the council at its March 2, 2020 regular meeting, Mayor Don Anderson called on the council to make a motion. Silence followed and after calling again for a motion, Anderson moved to the next agenda item.

The options before the council were:

  • Approve the 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax increase, which would generate dedicated funding for mental health and chemical dependency programs in the city.
  • Approve a 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax increase with a contingency that the tax would only be collected when the Pierce County Council approves a 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax increase, which would keep the money collected from Lakewood residents in Lakewood instead of elsewhere in Pierce County.
  • Or don’t adopt the proposed tax increase.

The Pierce County Council is scheduled to vote on a 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax increase at a March 10 meeting. If the County Council approves the tax, it would go into effect countywide, to include Lakewood.

Watch the video from the March 2, 2020 Lakewood City Council meeting.