Brewster officials share views on state legislative measures

Finance Director/City Clerk Misty Ruiz

Char Harmier Photography/COURTESY OF CITY OF BREWSTER

BREWSTER – The February meeting of the city council featured a report summarizing the trip city officials made to Olympia to meet with legislators and voice support or opposition to bills affecting small cities. 

Police Chief Marcos Ruiz opposed Senate Bill 5040 – since passed - that would open the city to collective bargaining binding interest arbitration for police departments.

“Every time cities our size have to enter into binding arbitration the cost is between $100,000 and $200,000,” said Finance Director/City Clerk Misty Ruiz. “At a time when Governor Ferguson has pledged to hire more officers in Washington State, this bill makes it financially impossible for small cities to continue services we are doing now let alone try to hire additional officers.”

That funding shortfall is behind the city’s support of House Bill 1436 that would incentivize and help fund the employment of commissioned law enforcement officers. The bill would allow cities to receive .01 percent of sales taxes without placing an additional tax burden on citizens. 

“This would not be enough to fund an additional officer, but it would provide between $56,000 and $64,000 based on the last two years’ (2022-23) taxes,” Ruiz said.

The sales tax figures are based on a Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) table that lists amounts through 2023.

MRSC 2022-2023 Sales Taxes (2024 sales taxes updated in April 2025)

Brewster $565,548 (2022) $638,997 (2023)

Bridgeport $123,146 $117,116  

Pateros $127,986 $138,250

Mansfield $36,600    $42,246 

HB 1436 cites the state’s 25-year high in violent crimes coupled with the second highest property crime rate in the nation over the past five years. This is at a time when Washington ranks last in the nation for law enforcement officers per capita.

Ruiz said criminal justice used to be better funded.

“Many years ago, before I worked here, we used to have criminal justice funding from the state,” said Ruiz. “We had a law enforcement department of 12.”

Several funding cuts later the department is less than half its former size comprised of the chief, three officers, and an administrative assistant.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media