ISLAND COUNTY: Voters approve 9-1-1 emergency communications sales tax

Jessie Stensland reports from Island County Elections for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.

Voters approved a sales tax increase to improve Island County’s aging 9-1-1 emergency communication system.

In the first count of votes in the April 22 special election, the single measure on the ballot in the county was easily passing. A total of 11,304 ballots, or 65%, were cast in favor of imposing a two-tenth of 1% sales tax (0.2%) to fund the Island County Emergency Communications Center, commonly known as I-COM.

The sales tax can be used for design, acquisition, construction, equipping, operating, maintaining, remodeling, repairing, reequipping and improvement of emergency communication systems and facilities.

I-COM provides 9-1-1 services for law enforcement, fire departments and emergency medical service services in the county. It handles about 93,000 calls a year.

The tax will collect an estimated $3.5 million in its first year. It goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

On the Ballot in April 2025