Just last week, Democrats on the King County Council were adamant that voters needed to pay a higher sales tax to protect public safety. As a result, they put a two-tenths of one percent boost to the sales tax on the November ballot.

If approved, the county’s share of the money would go to help preserve public safety by keeping Sheriff’s deputies, prosecutors, judges and other criminal justice workers from getting the axe as King County faces a $60 million deficit next year.

This week? Apparently public safety isn’t as big a deal.

On Monday, the same five Democrats modified last week’s sales tax measure to say that part of the money now would go to replacing the county’s aging juvenile justice center.

The original measure was seen as temporary; the tax increase would go away three years. Not so, now.

Only one-tenth of one percent of the increase now will sunset in three years. The other one-tenth of one percent will continue for 20 years so the county can sell bonds against that revenue and raise money for the juvenile justice center.

By including financing for the youth center as part of sales tax measure, supporters say, the council no longer will need to consider a separate funding source for construction of the facility. That only makes sense if you don’t think 17 additional years of a tax isn’t equivalent to a separate funding source. We do.

Not surprisingly, the Dems were effusive in their praise of the new approach.

“When we ask the voters to fund critical criminal justice and public safety services, it makes sense to include this core piece of our justice system in the proposal,” said council chair Bob Ferguson.

Really? Keeping Sheriff’s deputies on the street and judges and prosecutors going after the bad guys seems more important than bad water pipes in the youth center.

Councilmember Larry Phillips chimed in: “By putting this sales tax proposal on the ballot, the voters of King County will have the opportunity to decide the fate of two critical public safety issues—preserving critical, mandated regional criminal justice services and replacing the dilapidated Youth Services Center.”

Actually, it’s an all-or-nothing proposition. Want to keep the criminal justice system from getting whacked? You’ll have to pay for a new youth center, too.

County officials say that sections of the youth center facility are roughly 40 years old. So? Many in Bellevue can say the same thing about their homes.

Also, the center apparently has significant maintenance needs, including over $20 million of repairs to basic plumbing, heating and electrical systems. OK, but these didn’t happen overnight. Why weren’t these addressed over the past 40 years?

There was one astute observation by a council Democrat. Councilmember Larry Gossett noted, “It is important to let the voters decide.”

We agree. The public needs to give this issue a thorough debate before the General election.