County to consider 3‑year rolling commitment of transportation funds for COG projects; legal and coding options debated

A staff member outlined a proposal to create a 3‑year rolling commitment of a portion of the county's optional sales tax for transportation to the Council of Governments (COG), arguing that multi‑year certainty would improve project design and delivery. "In 2024, the county council enacted 8.3% optional sales tax for transportation and public safety," the staff member said while describing how a dedicated portion could be set aside for COG projects.

Legal staff and committee members noted limits on how binding such a commitment can be: a simple resolution of intent provides political assurance but can be reversed by future councils, while a change to county code (for example a new chapter in Title 3 governing revenue and finance) would require a higher bar to amend and thus offer a more durable commitment. Staff and members discussed allocation math: a December 2025 adjustment moved the split to 40% transportation and 60% public safety, and members considered percentage splits within the transportation portion (for example, about 70% to COG and 30% retained by county operations in some proposals).

The committee signaled support for asking the county attorney to draft language for next meeting review, and staff recommended whether the body prefers a nonbinding resolution or code language. No binding ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff and attorneys were asked to prepare drafting options for a future meeting.