Battle Ground now is one of a handful of cities in Washington state taking a stand against the possibility of local income taxes as the city council unanimously approved a resolution prohibiting such a tax.
During its July 19 meeting, Battle Ground City Council voted 6-0 to approve the resolution, which “prohibits the imposition of a local income tax in the event a local income tax is determined legal and permissible by the Washington State Supreme Court or the Washington State Legislature.”
The resolution cites a 2019 ruling by the Washington State Court of Appeals which determined an income tax on high-earners was unconstitutional, but potentially opened up the door for municipalities to instate a uniform tax of that kind. Although the state’s supreme court declined to review the case at its level, with the passage of a tax on capital gains this year, opponents of the legislation say it could lead to the potential of a direct income tax in Washington.
The capital gains tax currently faces legal challenges in state court.
The resolution was introduced to council in a prior meeting by Battle Ground Mayor Adrian Cortes, who said he felt “very strongly” about the motion. Following the passage, he said the resolution “was a big win for our community.”
“In my opinion, while Seattle and Olympia try to go against what the framers of the Washington State Constitution intended, we are standing firm in our opposition to a local income tax thus reaffirming our competitive advantage of no local income taxes in the city of Battle Ground,” Cortes said in a statement.
Councilor Brian Munson said the resolution has good intent, but given the potential for a possible income tax to be allowed via court decisions, he said he would be in favor of making an ordinance outright banning such a measure in the city.
“Resolutions can fall by the wayside,” Munson said.
Councilor Shauna Walters took issue with the resolution, likening it to “political posturing” given the timing of Cortes’ unveiling of it during a year he is up for re-election.
Walters mentioned a resolution brought up by Munson in June, initially approved by the city of Bonney Lake, which prohibited requiring proof of vaccination for individuals to go maskless in public. The resolution was “shot down” due to the perceived political nature of it, she said.
“I cannot see any scenario in which this resolution is any different, considering the resolution does not actually serve a purpose to protect the community from undue income taxes,” Walters said.
Despite her misgivings, Walters voted for the resolution because of the resolution’s principle, saying she is in favor of codifying the resolution as an ordinance.
Councilor Shane Bowman said his opposition to the vaccination resolution was because of the process that brought it up, which was during council communications and not as an agenda item as the tax resolution was.
“Had that been brought up like this, and we got to look at it, and we got to think about it, and not just be put out there that we needed to vote that night, that’s completely different,” Bowman said, before moving to approve the resolution.
Battle Ground joins Spokane, Spokane Valley and Granger in making some sort of stance against a local income tax following the 2019 court decision.
