HomeMy WebLinkAbout011225 email - Re_ Interlocal Agreement for funding_ supporting the TBDALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Hello Greg,
Thanks for the reply.
Again, it is the cumulative effect of all of the potential tax increase measures that are becoming unbearable. I agree that serviceable and maintained roads need to be a priority, but
adding the potential councilmanic sales tax increase plus $20.00 annual tab fee increases, along with the potential for a voter approved sales tax increase for a new aquatic center,
plus gas taxes, inflationary price increases on virtually everything, and ridiculous rent and housing expenses, people in the county are really struggling. People are pulling in their
horns on discretionary spending which we are starting to see in the construction industry, which is a significant indicator of potential future economic trends, possibly showing a general
downturn in our local economy.
You formed the TBD with a councilmanic vote, which takes county resources requiring overhead expenses. You can also form the PFD with a councilmanic vote (only the 2% sales tax increase
for a specific PFD sanctioned project requires a vote of the people), which will also require county resources and overhead expenses. With both of these new districts, you currently
have no additional cash flow incoming for these overhead expenses. This makes no sense to me at all. You are now considering spending more money on an aquatic center survey, even though
the City of Port Townsend, with someJefferson County and other municipal entity support, has already spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars on useless surveys, consulting
fees, staff time and salaries, etc. The aquatic center concept is just a black hole for the disappearance of city and county fiscal resources. Please put anything facilitating that
discussion and / or concept on the back burner, and that would include the formation of the PFD as well. It is a wonderful idea whose time has not come and should not be any form of
a fiscal priority at this time.
All I am asking is for you to at least show some fiscal discipline with spending here. Re-prioritize your spending and taxation plans, tabling county and community wants, and supporting
county and community true needs such as roads, public safety, etc.
Mark L Grant
Jefferson County
On Sun, Jan 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM Greg Brotherton <GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> > wrote:
Thanks, Mark. I got your latest note as well. If we had the taxing authority raise property taxes along with inflation this would be a very different picture, but we don’t. The private
market can adjust prices to match inflation, and we simply can’t in the public sector. People expect a higher level of service, or at least to maintain the current level of service,
and like the producing eggs, or gas, or (I’m sure) steel buildings, it costs more every year to do that. Regardless of property value, taxes only go up 1% per year across the county.
The PFD will require a vote of the people and a plan that demonstrates a practical plan for building an asset that the majority of the people of Jefferson County would agree is worth
increasing sales tax for. The TBD is simply necessary to maintain what we have.
Thanks for your interest, and we are advocating at the state level for more a more progressive tax system, but we don’t have the luxury to wait for that possibility,
Greg Brotherton
From: Mark Grant <grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com <mailto:grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com> >
Sent: Wednesday, January 8, 2025 8:29 AM
To: Greg Brotherton <GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> >
Cc: jeffbocc <jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Mark Grant <grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com <mailto:grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: Interlocal Agreement for funding/ supporting the TBD
ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Commissioner Brotherton,
Thanks for your response. I appreciate hearing from any of our elected officials whenever I have something that I feel is of concern to not only me, but to everyone who lives in our
community.
The guest column piece that I wrote for the PT Leader underlines my primary worries in that the taxing systems as have been recently proposed are extremely regressive, and have a great
impact on those who can least afford having their family budgets reduced by even the smallest of amounts. A much more equitable approach to dealing with new departmental funding issues
could be handled through property tax increases and not through sales tax increases. I know that there would be push back on that from many fronts, especially from those entities/ taxing
districts that are worried that the appetite for and source of property tax revenue is being diluted. But, property taxes tax residents based on the value of their property assets,
and those who have higher valuations pay more, and those who have lower valuations pay less. This is a fair and equitable taxing system, especially for our community.
Honestly, I am not thrilled with the prospects of higher property taxes, but these sales tax increase cases that are being presented via the PFD and TBD will, I am afraid, be crippling
for many families who are barely surviving paycheck to paycheck. For the long time residents who live on fixed incomes and who have seen their property valuation go through the roof
due to the steady migration of those with more sustainable wealth increasing the buying/ price point/ tax assessment of our real estate, influenced primarily by real estate availability
and demand, maybe more creative efforts could be taken to discount their property tax outlay. This could be further managed through policy changes at the Board of Equalization.
I am just trying to think out of the box here. I have been accused of not wanting a viable aquatic center for our community, and am now hearing cries that I don't want good roads. This
is the furthest from the truth, and just a convenient way for some to disparage someone who just wants equitable solutions to our community's financial stability with resources that
are becoming increasingly limited for all. I would like to see well thought out and thoroughly prioritized community needs emphasised and acted upon first and in a fair and equitable
way. Road maintenance should be higher on the list of community priorities, and the new aquatic center concept should be much further down on the list of community priorities.
Thanks again and looking forward to your response; I also cc'd this email to the general BOCC email box.
Mark L Grant
President
Grant Steel Buildings and Concrete Systems, Inc.
75 Haada Laas Road
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Office - 360-379-3236 <tel:360-379-3236>
Mobile - 360-301-4340 <tel:360-301-4340>
E-mail - grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com <mailto:grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com>
Web Address - grantsteelbuildingsystems.com <http://grantsteelbuildingsystems.com/>
Grant Steel Buildings and Concrete Systems, Inc is recognized as a
certified Veteran Owned Business by the State of Washington.
Grant Steel Building and Concrete Systems, Inc is recognized as an
Authorized Builder by Varco-Pruden Buildings.
On Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 3:09 PM Greg Brotherton <GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> > wrote:
Thanks for the note, Mark. I also read your piece in the PT Leader. IT does not seem like it will add a significant amount of work to county staff. We forwarded your note onto Heather.
You can also reach all the Commissioners at: jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us> ,
Greg Brotherton
From: Mark Grant <grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com <mailto:grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com> >
Sent: Sunday, January 5, 2025 5:46 PM
To: Kate Dean <kdean@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:kdean@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Heidi Eisenhour <HEisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:HEisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Greg Brotherton
<GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:GBrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> >
Cc: Mark Grant <grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com <mailto:grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com> >
Subject: Interlocal Agreement for funding/ supporting the TBD
ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Commissioners Dean, Eisenhour, Brotherton, and Commissioner-elect Dudley-Nolette,
I am writing in response to the BOCC agenda item regarding a proposed resolution authorizing the Jefferson County Administrator to execute an Interlocal Agreement with the governing
body of the newly formed TBD.
Based on comments made during the December 16th BOCC meeting by the Director of Public Works, Monte Reinders and support by all present, there was an assumption that there would be
no funding for the TBD's operating and general overhead expenses other than those potentially collected by the proposed funding mechanisms for the TBD yet to be approved. The interlocal
agreement implies that resources that already exist within Jefferson County operations could be utilized in support of the newly formed TBD. This means that the newly formed TBD will
have an immediate impact on overhead and funding of other county departments by either diverting fiscal resources or even diverting service attention to those same departments. This,
to me, implies that there is a fiscal impact that was not properly represented/ exposed to the public prior to your vote and decision to form the TBD.
Just as in your desire to form a PFD and then worry about funding later, it seems that the same methodology is occurring with regard to the TBD, i.e. just form the new taxing districts
and worry about how to fund them later. And with regard to the funding of the TBD, Commissioner Brotherton repeatedly stated that the funding mechanisms will still be up for public
review and comment, and that one methodology could involve voter approval on any new sales tax increases or annual car tab fees regardless of the councilmanic approval approach. I strongly
urge that you make all new funding mechanism proposals subject to voter approval, regardless of what is permitted by the RCWs. This is the fair way to involve the public in decision
making that can have a very regressive impact financially on our residents.
Finally, Director Reinders and others stated that property taxes will not be used to fund the TBD. Will this mean that the current road maintenance portion of our property taxes will
be eliminated, thus reducing our property tax burden by the 10% as was used as an example (someone pays $4,000.00 in property taxes annually, $400.00 of that currently goes to road
maintenance)? My guess is that you will not cut it from our property taxes, just like the gas tax won't truly go away with the implementation of the proposed Road Usage Tax.
I would appreciate a response to this email at your earliest convenience. Please forward this email to Commissioner Dudley-Nolette for me; I don't have her email address yet.
Thank-you.
Mark L Grant
Jefferson County
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