Vancouver residents will decide next month whether the police department will get a funding boost aimed at bolstering staffing when they cast their votes on Proposition 4. The levy lid lift would add up to 80 full-time sworn officers and 36 nonsworn police positions, form a traffic enforcement camera program, expand the city’s Homeless Assistance and Resources Team (which has two officers) and upgrade equipment. The measure would increase the city’s 2024 general fund property tax levy by about 41 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for 2025. The levy would increase 5 percent a year for six years. The measure would raise about $15.5 million the first year and about $36 million by 2030, according to the city. The city estimates the owner of a $500,000 house would pay an additional $205 in property taxes in 2025 and $585 in 2030.

A police advisory committee said the additional funding is necessary due to a lack of staff, a 30 percent increase in call volume for police services and an 87 percent increase in reported crimes since 2018, according to the city. Last month, the city council endorsed the ballot measure, saying the current police force is insufficient to meet the demands of the city. In a statement in support of the measure, Councilor Bart Hansen said the levy aims to reduce violent and property crime, increase investigators’ capacity for cases, and boost patrol and traffic enforcement. “It just has become very obvious since the city has grown that we are going beyond the capabilities of the services that we’ve been able to fund so far,” Councilor Ty Stober said at a hearing last month. But some residents oppose raising taxes when the cost of living already has so many strapped.

Resident Kalib Inman said he feels local government continues to ask for more dollars without much meaningful change. While he thinks funding for police is important, he suggested the city reconsider how to support the department without increasing the burden on taxpayers. “Instead of continually taxing residents, it’s time for Vancouver to maximize its current resources, prioritize law enforcement, and make the hard financial choices to support the needs of the community rather than the nice-to-haves,” Inman said. Ballots will be mailed in Clark County by Oct. 16. Election Day is Nov. 5.