City of Liberty Lake Proposition No. 1 — Impose a Sales and Use Tax of One-Tenth of One Percent for the Purpose of Funding Criminal Justice Services (Spokane County)

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Liberty Lake voters

What it does
Proposition 1 City of Liberty Lake, Washington Impose a Sales and Use Tax of One-Tenth of One Percent for the Purpose of Funding Criminal Justice Services The Liberty Lake City Council is calling for an election to consider the imposition of a sales and use tax of one-tenth of one percent for the purpose of funding public safety and criminal justice services pursuant to RCW 82.14.450. Should the City impose this sale and use tax?
A YES vote means
Liberty Lake would impose a sales tax of one-tenth of one percent to fund public safety and criminal justice services.
A NO vote means
Liberty Lake would not impose this one-tenth of one percent sales tax.
Needed to pass
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean
Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

  • Liberty Lake does not levy a city sales tax for criminal justice under RCW 82.14.450. State law lets a city impose up to 0.1% for this purpose with voter approval.
  • The City Council says public safety and criminal justice costs have risen substantially and more revenue is needed to keep the current level of service.

If it passes

  • The City would add a sales and use tax of 0.1% (one-tenth of one percent) on taxable purchases in Liberty Lake to fund public safety and criminal justice services.
  • Under state law, at least one-third of the money must be used solely for criminal justice purposes, fire protection, or both.
  • Because the City acted before Spokane County, state law requires the County to credit the City's tax against its own, so a county tax under the same law would be limited to the remaining 0.2%. The resolution says the County intends to put that 0.2% county tax on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

Example

A 0.1% sales tax adds 10 cents to a $100 taxable purchase made in Liberty Lake. (source)

Who would notice

Anyone making taxable purchases in Liberty Lake, residents or not, and the City's police and criminal justice budget.

How it got here

The City Council adopted Resolution No. 26-284 on March 17, 2026, asking Spokane County Elections to put the measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The resolution says the Council wants to maximize how much of this revenue returns to Liberty Lake.

Written by SpectrumVote from 2 linked sources (1, 2). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Liberty Lake Proposition No. 1 mean?
Liberty Lake would impose a sales tax of one-tenth of one percent to fund public safety and criminal justice services.
What does a NO vote on City of Liberty Lake Proposition No. 1 mean?
Liberty Lake would not impose this one-tenth of one percent sales tax.
How does this relate to a Spokane County measure?
State law caps the combined city and county tax under this law at 0.3%. By acting first, the City gets the first 0.1%, and the County must credit it. The resolution says the County intends to ask voters for the remaining 0.2% on the same ballot.
Must the money go to police?
State law requires at least one-third to be used solely for criminal justice purposes, fire protection, or both. The ballot measure describes the purpose as public safety and criminal justice services.
What vote does it need?
A simple majority of Liberty Lake voters.
How many votes does City of Liberty Lake Proposition No. 1 need to pass?
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on City of Liberty Lake Proposition No. 1?
SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?
The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Spokane County ballot.

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