Sales tax approved last year to fund the new officers

The Clark County Council approved 22 new deputy positions for the sheriff’s office, kicking off a massive hiring push backed by a newly adopted criminal justice sales tax.

“This decision reflects extensive collaboration among the sheriff’s office, the county manager, the budget office, the county council, and community members,” Sheriff John Horch said in a news release following the council’s vote. “This is an important step toward addressing our long-standing staffing challenges.”

Horch called the approval an extensive collaboration among the sheriff’s office, the county and the community at large. He said discussions have been ongoing about the personnel issue for years, with the sheriff’s office working to put together the numbers since the council first took it to a vote in August.

The new law and justice sales tax is expected to collect $4.7 million in 2026, $14.75 million in 2027 and $15.37 million in 2028, according to a staff report.

The department plans to launch its recruitment drive for the newly created roles in July. Over the next three years, the department expects to add 21 deputies, one sergeant, a volunteer coordinator, a communications specialist and two other support staff.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Matt Volker noted that while the department hopes to fill the positions quickly, forecasted hiring estimates are up in the air. He said it would be unrealistic to expect all positions to be filled by the end of the year based on past hiring practices.

Horch told the council at the meeting that weeks prior the sheriff’s office reached a milestone he had not seen in his 37-year career.

“We were actually at zero vacancies,” Horch said. “It only lasted for about two days because every organization is going to have vacancies. But we actually went to zero, and we were ready to hire.”

To jump-start the hiring process, the county had to apply for the first round of Washington’s Public Safety Funding Program grants to grab a piece of the $100 million pie to help cover the upfront costs of hiring the new deputies.

“Is it going to fully balance us? No, but it will certainly make an impact that’s needed,” County Manager Kathleen Otto said at the council meeting.

Larry Stafford, finance director in the auditor’s office, said the grant money is designed to accelerate the hiring process right out of the gate.

“The council gave us support for making the application for the grant,” Stafford previously told The Columbian. “Any grant award and any use of the sales tax will be brought to them for a decision.”

Once the new deputies are officially on the payroll, their positions will be funded long-term by a 0.1 percent criminal justice sales and use tax the county approved last year.

That funding mechanism, authorized by the Legislature in 2025 under Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2015, allows local governments to adopt the tax to bolster law enforcement capabilities without requiring voter approval.