The Washington County Board of Commissioners is considered a 19-cent public safety levy increase for the November ballot. (Staff file photo)

The Washington County Board of Commissioners are considering whether to ask voters to increase the public safety levy by 19 cents this November.

The proposed levy, which would appear on the Nov. 4 ballot, would fund an expansion of countywide public safety services from July 2026 through June 2031.

If approved, the levy increase — from 47 cents to 66 cents — would generate $329 million for the county over five years. For a typical homeowner with an assessed value of $348,600, that would amount to about $230 per year — or $19.17 per month.

County officials say the rate increase is necessary to preserve and enhance services in the face of rising costs and declining state funding.

“The same services cannot be maintained at the current rate,” the county’s explanatory statement, set for county approval June 24, reads. “Replacement helps preserve public safety and keep up with inflation.”

The levy would fund a broad range of programs, including investigating and prosecuting theft and child abuse as well as combating fentanyl trafficking and supporting mental health crisis response teams.

The public safety funding would also be used to fully staff the jail and add positions in the sheriff’s office, district attorney’s office and community corrections division over the next five years, according to county documents.

County officials say the levy supports 167.75 public safety positions and accounts for about 16% of Washington County’s justice system funding. They warn that failure to pass the levy would trigger cuts beginning in July 2026, affecting prosecution, law enforcement, supervision, corrections and domestic violence services.

This marks the latest in a long history of public safety levies in the county, beginning in 1998. This would also be the largest increase since the levy’s inception.

Polling conducted by EMC Research in late 2024 and early 2025 found broad support for maintaining and improving public safety, with particular concern about child abuse, drug-related crimes and domestic violence.

Supporters of the levy include the county’s Public Safety Levy Steering Committee, which includes top law enforcement and enforcement and public safety officials. The committee cites a growing and increasingly complex population —- now topping 600,000 residents —- as placing more demand on services than the current funding structure can bear.

The board is slated to vote on the levy specifics at its June 24 meeting.