Port Angeles council accepts state grant for four police officers; directs staff to explore 0.1% sales tax

The Port Angeles City Council unanimously voted to accept a Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission grant to cover the salaries and benefits for four new entry‑level police officers, authorizing the city manager to sign the contract and to add the positions to the city’s 2026 budget. The grant award was described in the motion as “an amount not to exceed $785,680.”

Council member Amy, who moved the measure, said the grant supports co‑response and training priorities the department has already established, and that it was an opportunity the city should not pass up. Multiple council members cited officer burnout and the department’s difficulty covering shifts as reasons to accept the funding. Council member John said, “burnout’s real, and we definitely need more officers,” and urged that the grant was a timely chance to bolster capacity.

Public testimony before the vote was split. Bradley Calloway urged council to “reject this grant,” warning of expanded policing and surveillance risks, while Tracy Abel asked the council to ban automatic license‑plate readers and to prohibit collaboration with ICE. Countering those concerns, Susie Blake and other residents told the council they had personally observed community‑oriented policing and supported additional staffing.

After approving the grant, the council also voted to direct staff to assemble the necessary resolutions and documents and to set a public hearing on whether to adopt a councilmanic 0.1% sales tax under state law (House Bill 2015) as a potential means to sustain personnel costs after the grant period. The motion to request staff work on the sales‑tax hearing passed unanimously; no sales tax was adopted at the meeting.

Chief Smith and council members emphasized that the city’s eligibility for the grant rests in part on existing co‑response and training work; Council members said they expect to see staff present financing options and a public process before any permanent revenue changes are made. The council took the grant and the direction to staff in separate unanimous votes.