And now they want more

Tax hikes on the horizon

“I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” ― Winston Churchill

After years of overspending on pet projects, the County is facing a historic budget deficit. In addition to laying off employees and raising fees, the County Commissioners are considering a new tool to bridge the spending gap.

Raising your taxes.

By law, the commissioners can raise property taxes by up to 1% annually. This week, they revealed that they want the entire amount allowed. Later this month, they will consider a resolution: “The Board of Clallam County Commissioners finds there is substantial need for the increase of 1 percent…” The resolution, expected to generate an additional $123,777.47 for the General Fund, has been printed; it’s just waiting for their signatures on November 26th.

The commissioners are also looking to increase revenue for the Road Fund. That resolution, another 1% increase, is expected to generate an additional $83,191.90.

A landowner with a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home valued at $465,000 would see two increases on their property tax statement: In the example below, the “Clallam County General (fund)” would increase by $3.45, and the “Clallam County Road General” would increase by $3.63.

The increase may seem small, but it can be raised every year. To some, it feels like a “death by a thousand cuts” that encourages the commissioners’ carefree spending without accountability.

Here is the impact the tax increase would have on a tribal property of similar value that has been converted to trust land:

Penny by penny, dollar by dollar, essential services are losing funding. Our schools, hospitals, fire districts, and libraries are struggling. When properties are converted into tribal trust and fall off the property tax rolls, that burden is transferred onto those still required to pay property taxes. Last year, the Jamestown Tribe transferred 258 acres into tribal trust, and the trend has no end in sight.

A public hearing about the proposed tax increase will be held on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 10:30 AM in the Commissioners' Meeting Room of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 East 4th Street, Room 160, Port Angeles, Washington.

Oral public comment is allowed at the hearing (most impactful), or comments can be sent to all three commissioners by emailing the Clerk of the Board: Loni.Gores@clallamcountywa.gov

Hindsight is 2023

Last year, the commissioners had an opportunity to complete the construction of Towne Road using $0 County dollars. State grants would have entirely funded it, but commissioners prioritized special and political interests ahead of public safety and fiscal responsibility. This resulted in an additional year delay, which drove up costs due to inflation. Funding expired (at least $300,000 was funneled to Commissioner Ozias’ top campaign contributor, the Jamestown Tribe), and the County had to spend $800,000 from the Road Fund — an amount that will take nearly ten years of 1% increases to recuperate.

CC Watchdog asked county leaders how delaying Towne Road had impacted County funds. “I have been attempting to collect the information you are requesting,” replied DCD Director Bruce Emery, whose department oversaw the project. “Unfortunately, my Financial Specialist is out today, and I am at a point that requires her assistance. I hope to get additional information next week and provide you with a response.”

That was nearly a month ago.

Conflicting information

“I think your numbers are not correct on Towne Road at all.”

Commissioner French was speaking to an attendee at last month’s October 23rd public budget meeting. The resident said the County engineer had estimated $10 million to respond to the Jamestown Tribe’s deliberate breach of the Dungeness River dike.

French explained that, over the years, the County’s general fund has given millions to the Towne Road project, and all but $600,000 has been returned to the County. He suggested that the unexpected cost of $10 million was negligible because the county had been reimbursed.

“Where do grants come from”? asked the resident.

“Department of Ecology,” answered French.

“Who funds those?” the resident asked.

“The federal government,” said French.

“Who funds those?” asked the resident, but French was at a loss.

“Taxpayers,” said the resident. Attendees in the audience called out the same answer at the same time. “Do you know how much it cost taxpayers to respond to the breaching of the dike?” asked the resident.

Commissioner French said, “I don’t think it had that large of a financial impact that you’re claiming.”

French further distanced the Board from accountability by saying the decades-long project began before any current commissioners were in office. The County hadn’t even had a finance department decades ago. “We have, I believe, spent the money appropriately. The project was grant-funded. We’ve responded to the ups and downs of the project. I don’t think that there’s anywhere close to a $10 million dollar nexus of additional costs that were not already anticipated,” French asserted.

However, an email from County Administrator Todd Mielke doesn’t reconcile with Commissioner French’s claim:

“A Declaration of Emergency was made in 2022 as a result of the breaching of the levee.  In response to that Declaration, the County developed an “Engineer’s Estimate” of what was believed it would cost to respond to that breach.  This estimate was $10,581,472.90.  The work was put out for bid, and the ‘lowest qualified’ bid came in at $13,817,360.82 – which was ultimately rejected due to it being $3,235,887.92 HIGHER than the Engineer’s Estimate.”

Then, in a practice that has developed into a pattern, the County pivoted away from discussing breaching the dike and focused on soil contamination. The issue of remediating toxic dirt beneath the old Towne Road has been the County’s go-to distraction to explain the funding uncertainty that plagued the project. When asked at the meeting, the County again admitted that the State had reimbursed every cent of the soil mitigation cost. However, County CFO Mark Lane reinforced that soil contamination could have cost the County a lot of money.

“I think all of us want to have a full, itemized cost of that project,” said Commissioner Johnson. “When you have a project that goes over multiple commissioners, multiple years, there needs to be a better tracking method. A methodology is now in place to do that. I’m embarrassed because, certainly, I used to run a business, so I had to keep track of those things.”

Yet, the County is embarking on a much more expensive project, which comes with added risk. After waning public trust, County leaders are propagandizing the benefits of the Dungeness River Off-Channel Reservoir Project without telling residents that the benefit of “aquifer recharge” has been abandoned.

At some point, the County must admit it doesn’t know how much Towne Road cost. The county’s most extensive infrastructure project was conducted without a budget, and millions of dollars are unaccounted for. The County’s habit of hemorrhaging money and covering up catastrophes could easily bankrupt it, devastating our already economically depressed County.

At this point, alarm bells should be going off for every Clallam County resident. The disparity between spending and revenue is outpaced only by the growing gap between irresponsibility and accountability.

• Our county leaders behave like taxpayers don’t fund grants.

• The commissioners don’t know how much projects cost, yet they assure us that funds are spent appropriately.

• When elected leaders come and go, the process includes losing track of millions and operating projects without budgets.

• County staff and elected leaders were unaware of a $370,000 contract they had entered into despite tens of thousands in monthly outgoing payments.

• Errors over $100,000 are categorized as “small mistakes.”

• Millions are given to pet projects like homeless luxury housing (where sobriety is optional), and $125,000 is shuffled off to the Humane Society months before their Executive Director gets a golden parachute.

They can’t stop spending your money, and now they want more.

Monthly CC Watchdog meetup

This Saturday, November 9th, 6:30 - 9:30pm

Sequim Elks Lodge (open to the public), 143 Port Williams Road

$5 cover supports Elks’ generous community programs

Sing some karaoke, have a drink, and match names to faces