Hearing to keep county tax $$ for housing

Whitman County commissioners Monday set a hearing on the intent to adopt state house bill 1406, passed May 9, to take part of the tax collected in the county to be used for affordable housing.

The held back state sales and use tax could amount to $100,000 - $115,000 per year.

The hearing is Sept. 3 at 11:15 a.m.

The program would take a credit against the state sales tax of 6.5 percent – which would amount to the county holding back .0146 percent – to create this fund.

“Just a hold back of tax money kept in the county,” said Commissioner Dean Kinzer. “That’s what we like to see.”

The bill sets...