Camas voters have rejected a poll measure that might have raised town’s utility taxes by 4 p.c to fund new Camas police positions.
Preliminary outcomes posted to the Clark County Elections web site at 8 p.m. Tuesday present town of Camas’ Proposition 5 failing with 60.69 p.c, or 3,185 voters, casting ballots in opposition to the measure and 39.31 p.c, or 2,063 voters, approving it.
In November 2024, Camas Metropolis Council members authorised inserting the 4 p.c utility tax on the poll to assist notice Camas Mayor Steve Hogan’s plan to shore up a $6 million finances shortfall in 2025-26, and to pay for what the mayor and police chief have known as “critical staffing needs” on the native police division by rising metropolis revenues.
The brand new utility tax would have been added to an already authorised 2 p.c tax on town’s water, sewer, rubbish and stormwater utilities, and been earmarked for police staffing and associated tools and coaching.
“It was something I wanted to put before the voters, to hear their voice,” Camas Mayor Steve Hogan mentioned Tuesday evening after studying the poll measure was failing. “They spoke, and I respect the concerns of the citizens. Now we have to come together and find alternative solutions to support our police.”
If it had handed, the brand new utility tax would have raised round $1 million yearly and funded 4 new police positions, together with two police sergeants, one administrative lieutenant and one police officer to assist plan for a possible “retirement cliff.”
Camas Police Chief Tina Jones mentioned final yr that 45 p.c of the Camas Police Division’s sworn officers shall be eligible to retire inside the subsequent 5 years and famous that it may possibly take almost 18 months to recruit, rent and totally prepare new cops.
Jones mentioned Tuesday evening that, whereas she was dissatisfied by the election outcomes, she wasn’t giving up on making an attempt to convey the police division’s staffing ranges as much as the place she believes they have to be.
“As our community continues to grow and the demands for services on our team increase we see indicators that we are not staffed appropriately to meet the current and future police service needs,” Jones mentioned. “This need has been here for years, so the longer things get delayed, the more demand that puts on our services.”
Jones mentioned staffing points have already strained her division.
“We’re already seeing that negative impact on our service levels,” Jones mentioned. “And I still worry greatly about inadequate supervisory support, especially for our new employees. But I’m not throwing in the towel. Sometimes we have setbacks, but we find ways to move forward with the resources and the people we have.”
Jones mentioned she wasn’t taking the voters’ rejection personally or as an indicator that Camas voters don’t assist their police division.
“I heard from many community members during this process saying they support the police and see the need for the positions, they just did not want to see the funding come in the form of a utility tax,” Jones mentioned.
Hogan mentioned he intends to maintain pushing for funding to assist convey police staffing ranges to the place he and Jones really feel they have to be in a rising metropolis.
Clark County Elections reported a 25 p.c voter turnout as of Tuesday, with 81,344 ballots counted and roughly 17,000 ballots left to rely. The county will rely ballots once more at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
