Many Clallam voters have local levies on their ballots for Fire District 3 and the Sequim library.
These are very good causes, but voters need to know why they’re being asked for more funding.
Fire departments, libraries and similar agencies are known as junior taxing districts.
They are supposed to receive revenue from county forest trust lands that are managed by the state Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR is required by law to provide funding to junior taxing districts, but has had a very unreliable record of doing so for many years.
So for libraries and fire departments to get operating funds, they have to ask voters for the money they should have gotten from timber sales on trust lands.
This sad situation was addressed by the county’s Trust Lands Advisory Committee last year.
Mike Doherty apparently would rather that Clallam voters pay out of their own pockets for services that should be paid for with revenue from their county trust lands.
Bill Peach understands the importance of this money to our local agencies.
He will keep fighting for these badly needed funds so it doesn’t have to come out of the wallets of county citizens.
Connie Beauvais,
Joyce