LETTER: Population density

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 8, 2026

I’m not real good at math, so I’ll try to keep this simple.

Let’s pretend we have a high population density area like King County. In that area, people want roads and bridges, hospitals, schools and daycare.

Let’s say they have 100 people in that area and each person pays $100 in taxes. That gives you $10,000.

In a low population density area like Jefferson County, people still want roads and bridges, hospitals, schools and daycare. Those 10 people also pay $100 each in taxes, giving you $1,000.

How do you propose to pay for $10,000 worth of services with $1,000? And to be more accurate, our Jefferson County population is really only about 1.4 percent of King County, not 10 percent.

So I actually should ask candidates for office, how do you plan pay for $10,000 worth of services with only $400?

Clallam County is similar.

Population density issues worry me.

Rita Kepner

Nordland