HomeMy WebLinkAbout120925 email - Jefferson County budgetALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
I am writing to inquire about potential budget cuts, and departmental budgets. In light of the fact that the proposed budget has a shortfall in funding, I briefly reviewed the proposed
departmental budgets.It appears a large proportion of the county budget is spent on salaries and benefits, and travel ( travel I wonder why each department has high expenses for travel,
salaries and benefits makes sense due to inflation, cost of living etc.)
It also appears spending is focused on areas outside of those taxed higher in the county, I may be wrong on this point. This does not seem balanced, and fair to those paying higher
taxes, and not seeing any benefit.
I also wonder about the high budget for the department of health, affordable housing and homelessness. My question about this is considering our population of the county, granted we
do have many low income people and the multitude of services provided for them. In comparison Kitsap County's department of health budget is roughly $850,000, Jefferson county appears
higher. Why is the homeless fund requesting such a big increase in the budget? as well as the affordable housing department? The more provided, word gets out and people come from
outside the county. I feel this needs to be addressed.
As a taxpayer, our property taxes keep going up, to the point we may not be able to afford to stay in this county. As a previous resident of Kitsap County ( we raised our children there),
we saw more benefit from our taxes, evenly spaced throughout to benefit all members of the county.
Lastly, why would the Port Townsend community center be on the chopping block, when it is utilized by all age groups. In comparison, why does Garner community center receive a fairly
high budget when it serves a small group of residents?
Best regards,
Janis Inman