Clallam County’s new $5 property fee highlights a troubling pattern: residents pay, tribal and federal lands don’t, and the commissioners ignore overwhelming public opposition—revealing how decisions are made before the public ever has a say.
Clallam County property owners are about to see yet another charge added to their property tax bills: a $5 annual fee to fund the Clallam Conservation District (CCD). Over the next decade, that seemingly small fee will transfer nearly $2 million from county residents to a controversial conservation district that is already supported by grants but looking to expand.
The question is not just whether the fee is necessary. The deeper question is one of equity: who pays, and who doesn’t?
Who is exempt?
Federal lands are exempt from the new tax. That makes sense—federal land belongs to all Americans, and the public should not be asked to tax itself for land it already owns collectively.
But tribal trust lands are also exempt. And unlike federal lands, trust lands do not belong to the general public. They are held exclusively for the benefit of the tribes. Yet county residents will now be asked to subsidize programs that, by design, will not be paid for by those lands. This is a glaring equity issue: the costs are shifted onto ordinary property owners, while entire categories of land are left out.
In practice, this means the 122-acre Jamestown Tribe golf course won’t pay a dime toward the very agency tasked with promoting water conservation and overseeing the program that meters private wells.
Public testimony overwhelmingly opposed
At the hearing, 20 residents spoke against the fee. Only two spoke in favor.
The first, Ellen Menshew, Chair of the Clallam County Democrats, argued that “there are a lot of families in our community now who are growing their own gardens and trying to find ways to tighten their belts.” Her solution? Impose a new tax on those very families. The contradiction was striking: families are struggling, so let’s add to their tax bill in the name of “helping.”
The second was Maggie Bockart. She did not speak as an everyday resident but as an appointed CCD supervisor—the very agency that stands to benefit. She joined via Zoom, telling the room of citizens who drove to sit three hours in the courthouse:
“I’ve taken now two hours out of my work day to participate in something I’m very passionate about.”
Bockart framed the fee as a way to “pay your neighbors to help you stay healthy,” and posed the question:
“Do you want clean air and clean water?”
Her argument suggested that without this $5 fee, Clallam County residents could not expect safe air to breathe or clean water to drink—despite the fact that we already have the Department of Ecology, the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, and numerous other state and federal entities tasked with those exact responsibilities.
The imbalance of testimony could not have been clearer. Citizens spoke overwhelmingly against the measure. Only insiders and political leaders spoke in favor.
Commissioners had already made up their minds
Despite the lopsided testimony, all three commissioners signaled their support. Commissioner Randy Johnson even admitted outright that his decision was already made before hearing from the public:
“I certainly thought about this again last night. Thought about all the activities you perform, and the more I thought about it and the more I thought about it, you know, I thought I need to support you.”
This echoed a troubling pattern seen earlier this year, when the Homelessness Task Force plan was marked as “approved” weeks before the commissioners even voted on it. Public hearings, it seems, are less about listening and more about manufacturing legitimacy.
Questionable justifications
Commissioners framed the CCD as the county’s lifeline. Commissioner Mark Ozias went so far as to say that the agency, which promotes rain barrels, has a demonstration garden, and offers soil testing, is offering services that are “basic functions of state government,” suggesting they should not be left to grants or charity. Commissioner Mike French echoed Bockart’s theme, claiming CCD ensures residents have “clean and available water”—though when asked for measurable proof, CCD admitted it does not track whether it improves water quality.
Meanwhile, CCD District Manager Kim Williams tried to dispel public concerns about her pay, saying her salary wasn’t “six figures.” But public records show otherwise: $49.59 an hour, full-time, equates to more than $103,000 annually.
An equity problem, not just a spending problem
Equity means fairness in who pays and who benefits. Yet this new fee fails that test on every level.
Property owners pay — even those already struggling with rising housing costs, inflation, and other county tax increases.
Federal lands are exempt — appropriately so, because they belong to all of us.
Tribal trust lands are exempt — though they do not belong to the public, leaving taxpayers to subsidize programs that exempt whole categories of land and residents.
Special interests benefit — while everyday families see another line on their tax bill.
The commissioners had a choice: act responsibly, or once again burden property owners in the name of programs that lack clear accountability. They chose the latter.
Equity vs. empty promises
According to the County Commissioners’ own website, their vision is to “maintain and comprehensively advance our quality of life through responsible and effective development of trust in local governmental operations.”
Their mission, they claim, includes:
Putting the translated desires of our residents into action through effective communication
Yet the fee hearing showed the opposite. The “translated desires of residents” were crystal clear—20 spoke against, only 2 in favor. But those voices were ignored. Instead of building trust, commissioners signaled the outcome had been decided before the public had its say. Instead of equity, taxpayers are left footing the bill while exempt parcels, including a 122-acre golf course, contribute nothing.
This isn’t vision. It’s hypocrisy.
Remember in November
The $5 fee may look small, but the inequity is not. Time and again, the commissioners have treated public hearings as theater, insiders as stakeholders, and taxpayers as a bottomless ATM—funding everything from pizza parties for addicts to a county poet laureate.
The message from citizens was loud and clear. But the commissioners just chose not to hear it.
Note: While the fee has not yet received formal approval, the commissioners have expressed strong support and are expected to pass it once a few remaining details in the resolution are finalized later this month.
Last Equitable Wednesday, readers were asked if tribal governments should be treated as public entities. Of 192 votes:
59% said, “No”
35% said, “Yes”
5% were unsure
