Commissioner supports tripling property tax cap

Manufactured budget crisis lacks introspection

The “balanced budget” lasted seven weeks, now what? Guess which elected leader has been cozying up to Olympia to raise your taxes. Pizza, pipes, and booty bumping kits... your tax dollars at work. Ten reasons the commissioners should be living within their means (just like you do). One of these property tax statements is not like the other. The connection between transparency, accountability, consequences, and public trust.

Seven weeks into the new year, Clallam County is already facing financial difficulties in balancing its budget. Despite laying off longtime employees and cutting positions, a budget shortfall is forecasted for next year. Although the 2025 budget was adopted, the year began with a significant error: a court-appointed attorney was mistakenly left out of the budget, creating a $521,860 oversight, according to the county’s first budget resolution of the year.

In a recent article in the Peninsula Daily News, County Administrator Todd Mielke highlighted the county's fiscal challenges, partially blaming the budget deficit on increased personnel costs. However, the County is still hiring. Currently, there are 13 open positions, including a full-time Trail Maintenance & Volunteer Park Aide with an hourly pay range of $24.15 - $29.42. This employee will coordinate and lead volunteer work parties, ensuring proper training and safety practices.

In the article, Mielke does not address how the county ended up in such a financial predicament. Instead, he focuses on the limitation that commissioners can only raise property taxes by 1% annually without voter approval. The article suggests that county parks, the fair, and law enforcement might be next on the chopping block.

The County’s priorities

As public safety faces defunding and the Clallam County Fair—running since 1895—may be in jeopardy, it's worth noting where the County is still spending money. Each week, nearly $200 is spent on pizza.

Clallam County spends nearly $10,000 annually on pizza for the Harm Reduction Center.

This pizza is served on Friday afternoons at the County’s Harm Reduction Center on 2nd Street in Port Angeles, where the County also distributes free Narcan, needles, substance test strips, condoms, glass meth pipes, crack pipes with cleaning kits, and “booty bumping” kits for rectal drug use. The County leases the building for $3,500 monthly.

A CC Watchdog subscriber was given these items during a visit to the County’s Harm Reduction Center.

Additionally, the County is expanding its harm reduction workforce. Two open Harm Reduction Public Health Support Specialist positions offer hourly pay between $25.37 and $30.91. These employees will distribute drug paraphernalia, provide education on safer substance use, and advocate for harm reduction policies at local and state levels.

Setting the stage for a potential tax hike

At the same time, House Bill 1334 is under debate in Olympia. It proposes allowing counties to raise property taxes by 3% each year without voter approval—up from the current 1%.

During public comment to the House Finance Committee on February 11th, Paul Jewell said, “Lifting the arbitrary 1% growth limit on property tax annual growth has been a WASAC legislative priority for many years.” Jewell explained that the allowable property tax increase is needed because of the growing homelessness, housing, and fentanyl crises.

Paul Jewell testifies on February 11th. Click here and advance to 1:29:50 to watch his testimony.

Jewell serves as the Government Relations Director for the Washington State Association of Counties (WASAC), a nonprofit based in Olympia that aims to influence policy. The organization's leadership may provide a clue as to why WASAC has long pushed for this increase in property taxes.

Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias was recently promoted from Second Vice President to First VP at WASAC.

In other words, the citizens of Clallam County elected an official, and they are paying him to work on increasing their taxes while engaging in wasteful spending that pushes the County closer to economic collapse. Commissioner Mark Ozias, who promised to make housing more affordable during his campaign, leads an organization that seeks to triple the current cap on the property tax you pay to remain in your home.

Usually, this would represent a blatant conflict of interest, but it’s the standard way of conducting business in Clallam County.

A history of poor decisions

Clallam County Commissioners—Mark Ozias, Randy Johnson, and Mike French—have a combined 19 years of experience, but several of their decisions have brought the county closer to financial disaster:

1. Towne Road Project Mismanagement: Despite warnings that delaying the Towne Road project could forfeit grant funding, the commissioners halted its completion. Taxpayers ended up paying an extra $1.4 million for a 0.6-mile stretch of road, while original funds were redirected to Commissioner Ozias’s top campaign donor, the Jamestown Tribe.

2. Excessive Spending on Homeless Housing: The commissioners approved $4 million in taxpayer funds to construct luxury housing for the homeless at $350,000 per apartment—an extravagant cost given Peninsula Behavioral Health’s track record of budget overruns.

3. Funding Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Despite concerns that Habitat for Humanity violated state laws and county policy by awarding a no-bid contract to the Jamestown Tribe, the commissioners approved $800,000 in taxpayer money to fund the project.

4. Unnecessary Consulting Fees: The county entered into a $369,535 contract with Cascadia Consulting Group, but later denied having ties to the company, claiming they had forgotten about the contract. This lack of oversight raises serious questions about fiscal responsibility.

5. Unconventional Spending on Arts and Culture: The commissioners hired a poet laureate for $10,000 to hold readings in libraries and tattoo parlors, a questionable use of taxpayer funds.

6. Spending on Human Trafficking Signs: The county plans to install signs in 89 bathroom stalls across the county to remind human trafficking victims to call 911, with phase two of the project—including panic buttons and braille signs—costing $13,825.

7. Ballot Printing Mistakes: The county miscalculated the cost of the presidential primary, resulting in an $81,000 error that led to a $159,000 reprint of all ballots. Commissioner French dismissed the mistake as "small," but the impact was significant.

8. Overspending on Animal Services: The commissioners increased the contract with the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society by 19% to $125,000 annually without knowing the actual cost per animal. Meanwhile, the Humane Society’s executive director received a 48% pay raise—shortly before the organization shut down due to financial problems. The commissioners have since awarded a Humane Society board member a second Animal Solutions Advisory Committee seat.

9. Dungeness River Dike Breach: The Jamestown Tribe deliberately breached the Dungeness River dike, costing taxpayers an estimated $13 million. The financial burden may have been offset when the Tribe offered commissioners $500,000 in exchange for a resolution absolving them of any responsibility.

10. Government Support for the Press: Recognizing the decline of the newspaper industry, Commissioner Ozias suggested last March that the local government should help fund the local press.

Notable Differences in property tax increases

With property tax statements arriving last week, discussions have intensified about rising taxes—particularly in comparison to those of some elected officials. A chart circulating on Facebook highlights property tax increases for the primary residences of City of Port Angeles (COPA) councilmembers and Clallam County Commissioners since 2020.

According to the chart:

• City councilmembers' property taxes have increased between 42% and 83%.

• Commissioner Mike French's taxes have increased by 33%.

• Commissioner Randy Johnson's taxes have increased by 39%.

• Commissioner Mark Ozias's taxes have increased by 13%. (Note: The chart’s bottom line likely should read “2020,” not “2000.”)

There are many legal reasons Commissioner Ozias’s property taxes could have experienced such little growth however, when asked in an email to provide comment, he replied: “You can verify anybody’s property tax history yourself by looking it up at clallamcountywa.gov.”

A lack of accountability and transparency

These examples highlight a critical issue: Clallam County has struggled to maintain a budget.

The Towne Road project, for example, was completed without tracking taxpayer spending, and to this day, the commissioners cannot provide a clear accounting of the project’s cost—let alone how much is still being spent. This week, the county approved another $68,418.66 payment to the project's consultant, Shannon & Wilson.

Without a solid budget, there can be no accountability, and without accountability, there are no consequences. Without transparency, Clallam County is creating the perfect conditions for waste, corruption, and resource misallocation. Rather than looking for new ways to raise taxes, the county should focus on curbing wasteful spending and restoring public trust.

Why should residents trust officials with more money when they can’t explain how the last funds were spent?

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