Sam Fletcher reports from the Oak Harbor City Council meeting of Tue., Jan. 7, 2024 for the Whidbey News-Times.
Oak Harbor leaders are considering a new tax on businesses to raise money to fix the aging marina and fund other projects.
There is plenty of time for businesses to provide feedback and iron out the details, said David Goldman, deputy city administrator, at recent city-hosted seminars regarding the proposed tax. It would need council approval, and there is no currently defined schedule for when it will be considered.
If it is approved, he said, it will be another six months before it is implemented, giving businesses time to prepare.
They Said It
[Exempting the first $5 million in business revenues from the tax] seemed most popular among the council in previous meetings, especially Councilmember Bryan Stucky, who said this would affect businesses like Wal-Mart and Haggen, and the cost would likely not be passed on to the consumer.
