Tax talk falls short

Promised meeting never happened

As Clallam County residents face higher taxes, Commissioner Ozias prioritizes tax hikes over addressing lost revenue from his top campaign donor.

At a January Commissioner meeting, Commissioner Mark Ozias declined to discuss concerns about the county’s second-largest employer—the Jamestown Tribe—avoiding paying taxes. He stated that a commissioner meeting was an inappropriate forum for such discussions. However, once the cameras were turned off, he allowed a statement to be recorded:

“We are working on setting up a work session conversation, another public conversation, with the Jamestown Tribe about a variety of tax-related issues — property tax-related issues, lodging tax-related issues, etcetera. So, we’ve been in communication with the Tribe. I expect that to happen sometime in the first quarter, but I don’t have a day yet, and that will be the best opportunity for hopefully a wide-ranging conversation about tax-related issues as it relates to the Tribe and to other Tribes.”

Ozias mentioned that the meeting would take place during a Monday work session, allowing the public to observe. As the first quarter of the year comes to a close, it is clear that this was merely another empty promise.

Where has Ozias focused his efforts?

If Commissioner Mark Ozias, the county’s designated Tribal Liaison, wasn’t focused on facilitating a public discussion about ensuring the Jamestown Tribe pays its fair share of taxes, how did he prioritize the first three months of 2025?

Rather than addressing revenue concerns for essential county services, Ozias dedicated time and resources—on the county’s dime—to working with an Olympia-based special interest group to push for state law changes that would allow municipalities to raise property taxes by up to 3% annually instead of the current 1% cap.

Additionally, Ozias collaborated with the Washington State Association of Counties to lobby for a pay-per-mile tax. While the program would start as a self-reported system, critics fear potential government overreach, with concerns that tracking mileage could lead to mandatory vehicle transponders to monitor drivers’ locations.

Ozias is also working with fellow Commissioner Mike French and special interest groups to pass a 0.1% sales tax increase to fund arts, culture, and heritage programs—including initiatives like art and drama therapy in jails and prisons. This would be done without a vote of the people.

Most recently, Ozias partnered with Port Angeles City Councilmember Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin to send a letter to Governor Ferguson and state leaders advocating for the following:

• Lifting the 1% Property Tax Cap: Allowing local governments to raise property tax rates beyond 1% annually to keep pace with inflation and increasing public service costs.

• Public Safety Sales Tax Authority: Granting local councils the power to impose sales tax increases for public safety funding—without voter approval.

• Local Option Public Safety Tax: Enabling local governments to implement a sales tax specifically earmarked for law enforcement grants and public safety programs.

While the Clallam County Board of Commissioners currently has the power to enact some of these tax increases—subject to voter approval—Ozias and his colleagues have instead petitioned the state to remove the need for a public vote altogether.

Who bears the tax burden?

While Ozias spent the first quarter advocating for higher taxes on Clallam County residents, he did not host the Jamestown Tribe to discuss contributing taxes to fund the county government. This raises a critical question: How much property tax revenue is lost due to the Tribe’s tax-exempt status?

The Clallam County Assessor’s Office does not track the amount of property tax revenue lost when properties are converted to tax-exempt tribal trust land. Once a parcel is removed from county tax rolls, it is no longer assessed for tax purposes.

For example, a 5.46-acre parcel adjoining the Jamestown Tribe’s golf course was converted to trust land in 2012. The Assessor’s Office lists its value at $209,200—the same appraisal from 13 years ago. Given the 168% increase in property values in the Sequim area since then, the parcel’s estimated current value would be around $560,656.

Neither the Board of County Commissioners nor the Assessor’s Office has taken up the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ invitation to formally notify the federal government that this ongoing loss of tax revenue is harming Clallam County’s struggling economy and shifting the tax burden onto residents and small businesses.

The numbers speak for themselves

While the county government claims ignorance, a small independent effort took only two people working four hours to compile the following:

• The Jamestown Tribe owns 349 properties in Clallam County.

• 153 of those properties (43%) pay no or minimal taxes.

• These properties include a golf course, MAT Clinic, Jamestown Family Health Clinic, Tribal Library, and private residences in Sequim and Port Angeles.

• The cumulative assessed value of the 153 tax-exempt properties is $43,949,361 (note that valuations are frozen the year parcels are converted into trust—the actual number is likely much higher).

• If those properties remained taxable, the county would receive $342,715 annually in property taxes (again, the amount is likely much higher for the above-stated reason).

• Instead, the Jamestown Tribe and Corporation pay only $5,561—a 98% property tax discount compared to its competitors.

Furthermore, the pace of tax-exempt property conversions appears to be accelerating:

• 17% were converted in 2012.

• 16% were converted in 2018.

• 12% were converted in 2022.

• 25% were converted in 2023.

A growing disparity

Commissioner Mark Ozias has dedicated significant effort in 2025 to advocating for tax increases on Clallam County residents. Yet, he has not used his position as the Board of Commissioners’ Tribal Liaison to address the growing disparity in tax contributions between local businesses and the county’s second-largest employer and his top campaign donor—the Jamestown Corporation.

While citizens face rising costs for property taxes, sales taxes, and potentially new taxes on mileage, the Jamestown Tribe continues to expand its tax-exempt land holdings, shifting the financial burden onto everyone else. As the county struggles to fund essential services, residents deserve accountability and a fair tax system that applies equally to all businesses and property owners.