For anyone who missed this meeting the recording is a worthy listen that backs up everything in this article.
This isn't the first time that we've heard the teeth gnashing about targeting the tribes. What these activists don't want to talk about is that it's a BIA requirement that Congress included for the request to convert to be sent to the affected county for the exact reasons Commissioner Richards is focused on. Richards, nor anyone else made this up to "target" anyone.
The history is there that it's a balance, as in equity for both the tribes and the locally affected governments. This is nothing new for any US recognized tribe and they've always known that it's part of the requirement they're actions are obligated to. The failure of a county to respond is a direct policy that supports the tribes before it represents the people. Just because a county responds to a BIA letter doesn't mean that the BIA will act in the interest of a county in every matter so conflating a county response to it having unilateral weight shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the process.
What's missing in our government representation is balance, and the proposal Richards is championing is worthy of a vote of the people, not 15 people because that's not their role.
While I can't disagree with Chairwoman Fisch's request to have the amendment also address other situations that impact revenues they aren't the same, not even close. How would Fisch envision the BOCCC address a decrease in tax revenue from the WA DNR when the only mechanism is to lobby in Olympia and hope for a change in state law? Responding to a BIA letter is momentary and occurs because the BIA initiated the contact. Changing WA state law takes an inordinate time commitment, and adds costs to the county.
Commissioner Richards is a unique person who I've chided for other decisions that I disagree with, but I've also identified when I thought his actions were spot on. IMO, he's 100% spot on with this amendment and I thank him for his hard work in researching the implications of the cost to Clallam County when our BOCC fail to act.
I agree, MK., Comm. Richards has been thorough, diligent, and persistent in his commitment to bringing the BIA requirement to fruition. I applaud him for staying on task and pursuing what is right and not being distracted by unfounded claims from felliw commissioners. Comm. Richrds deserves the credit.
There is no doubt that JKT is in an advantageous business position, thanks in no small part to treaty rights and what many see as ineptitude by the commissioners, but what many others see as a case of some members of the commission being controlled by JKT (their crazy talk progressive politics aside.) We should never forget that, despite the good things that JKT does for the community, it is in direct competition with the county for resources, money, power, and control. We need a commission that will play hardball in its business dealings with JKT and will always put county taxpayers first.
I was very irritated at Monday night's CRC meeting. The security issue was on the agenda and should have been discussed. Paul Pickett is a coward. He called Comm. Tozzer and a**hole TWICE during CRC meetings with no admonishing from Chairwoman Fisch. He cannot face the public comments and scrutiny, so he calls us a minority. He, along with his co-conspirators, doesn't want the pushback of a taxpayer funded security guard, so they vote to remove the security item from the agenda. What are they afraid of? Jeff! They know he's right. The security issue is important and needs to face serious debate and repercussions. Once again, the CRC, under the executive leadership of Susan Fisch, Chris Noble, and Mark Hodgson, has failed. Those Commissioners who have fought valiantly on behalf of CC citizens, thank you for your continued efforts and your bravery in this fight. We're with you, Jeff Tozzer!
By their own insistance, the Jamestown Tribe is a soverign nation. So, the question is, why is a soverign nation funding local political campaigns? Would we allow Canada to do that? Would we allow Mexico do that? Would we allow China fund local political campaign? I think we would call that election interference by other nations. Why doesn't the same logic apply to the soveren nation of Jamestown Indians? Maybe they should stop buying undue influence on county politics when they have no interest in it except to figure out how to take financial benefit?
My Mother used to call me a Wild Indian...or Worse...a Wild Hawnyauk...whatever that was...so I identify as someone who should receive reparations because my mom was a racist and emotionally abused me...😎
Give it up...Clallam County...you know it's the right thing to do!🤣
Kudos to Richards. Thanks Jeff. The checkering is an issue and it is part of the "compensation mechanism". They can't say they have not received compensation for their "bad relationship."
It is time ..well past time to pepper the DOI with letters and information.
I think they went too far and I think the globalist members of the Democratic party are just as much to blame as JST.
The charter review has failed us. What was a simple, noble, and worthy exercise has been thwarted. There are those on the commission who failed to complete the primary purpose: to act on behalf of the public to ensure local government remains efficient, responsive and suitable for the community's needs. They did NOT take in public input. They did NOT propose amendments. They did not give the citizens the opportunity to vote on proposals.
They failed the people by allowing partisan bias, failing to pay attention to the public, lacked transparency, and focused on narrow political interests rather than broad community needs. The conversations were ineffective, counterproductive and not serving the public interests. They appeared secretive and this erodes public trust.
Some, including the chair, undercut other charter review members that they perceived of as political opponents, pushed one recommendation (that benefited one party) over another, and pushed ideological changes -- which was never the mandate. There was a clear conflict of interest.
We should not be the victims here.
I would like to see everyone, and I mean EVERYONE contact the Washington State Auditors Office through it's "online citizen complaint form" https://sao.wa.gov/report-concern/how-report-concern/citizen-hotline or by calling them directly. The SAOs office needs to determine if the charter review commission has adhered to applicable state laws, regulations, an it's own procedures. Then, contact the Office of the Attorney General Ombuds ...The Ombuds can provide guidance to the public and elected officials regarding open meetings and public records. You can contact the Ombuds by email at AGOOmbuds@atg.wa.gov or by phone at (360) 570-3418.
The Ombuds is a neutral third party to ensure compliance with laws. The laws of our state exist to promote democracy and ensure government transparency. We, the public, must hold the government accountable through whatever means the government has left open for us to use.
We are only powerless if we don't use the few avenues we have.
This missing tax base question is addressed on the other side of the aisle in such an asinine manner, I’m hesitant to write. Their response is, to get the County’s senior citizens to pay their fair share, as many of them are claiming a senior’s exemption that the County offers. Huh? Bull.
I doubt that there are enough exempt seniors out there that own property to equal what Jeff has to pay annually. Your income has to be so low in this county that you could not possibly own anything!
New Legislation Increases Senior and Disabled Persons Income Limits
for Tax Purposes Clallam County 08-08-2023 – Clallam County’s Assessor’s Office is alerting the public of new income limits that affect taxes for senior citizens and people with disabilities in Clallam County
What does this mean for taxes?
The threshold for qualifying for the TAX EXEMPTION is 70% of the county median, or
$46,000 for 2024 taxes. The threshold for the TAX DEFERRAL is 75% of the county median, or $49,239 for 2024 taxes.
The Clallam County Assessor’s ENCOURAGES ANYONE encourages anyone who thinks they may qualify under the new limits to contact the office at 360-417-2505 between 8:00 – 4:30, Monday through Friday.
it's just a math problem... some government agency collects all the gross incomes, arranges them in order from lowest to highest then finds the midpoint. It's based on our zip code tax returns (and yes, this data could be available to anyone, however.... unless you are a database wizard, uggh). The Governments "US Census" and the the HUD (housing and urban development) are the ones who publish this kind of income data. The most common source for newspaper articles, etc., is datausa.io (https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clallam-county-wa) which is based on the 2023 census data. OR, datacommons.org
In 2023, Clallam County, WA had a population of 77.6k people with a median age of 51.8 and a median household income of $67,999. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Clallam County, WA grew from 77,333 to 77,593, a 0.336% increase and its median household income grew from $66,108 to $67,999, a 2.86% increase.
The 5 largest ethnic groups in Clallam County, WA are White (Non-Hispanic) (80.8%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (5.27%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (3.39%), White (Hispanic) (2.05%), and Other (Hispanic) (1.77%).
If anyone is going for bankruptcy, they can keep their homes (and one vehicle) as Wa has a generous allowance for homestead that is based on the median home prices. Clallam County allows you to keep up to 100% of your home if it is under $500,00 as of 2024. It takes a lot of paperwork and research but it can be done (Chapter 7) without a lawyer. I'm putting this in because it is happening to many people as we speak.
Ken, I agree, it is pure BULL. I'm not sure if any figures can be accurate as there are two classes. Regardless, Senior and Disability Exemptions should not be a counter point or argued. These are people who are in true need and I have no problem with that. The taxes are REDUCED (according to income) not eliminated. The property STAYS on the tax role and is then taxed accordingly when the property is sold or transferred. Not so with Trust Land.
The EXEMPTION PROGRAM REDUCES the property tax liability, without having to repay taxes or having a lien placed against your home.
The DEFERRAL PROGRAM allows the State of Washington to pay property taxes on your behalf, placing a lien against the property until the state is paid back in full including interest. This lien becomes payable, together with interest, upon sale, transfer, or inheritance of the property
Generally what they are telling folks, we’re losing too much money with senior exemption. Look for the day for “alphabet politics” to some day change the tax exemption status for the county. Hopefully not in my lifetime.
Eric- in a recent TRPA post I asked Kevin Van De Wege (past politician) for the amount because of his terse comment…
“Senior Property Tax Exemption costs you far more than anything the tribes do”. He did not respond to my question. I tried to research it but couldn’t get the info. I would be very curious for the answer…
Eric, what pisses me off is that senior exemptions are even included in the talk. It's beyond cruel! It is a program much needed. My God, drag in extremely vulnerable people and compare them to JST? It makes me want to smack the stupid out of whoever does that sort of comparison. It's like they want to turn it back on the taxpayers and we are suppose to donate to our seniors like donating to the Humane Society?!!! As you can read, I'm very worked up on this one. Then again, lost votes there. Seniors are the biggest percentage of voters!
The reasoning behind treaties was laudable. Unfortunately, it no longer is. While many treaty entitled still practice ancestral and cultural reverence, the "old ways" have been abandoned in favor of non-treaty entitled created infrastructure, mechanization and technology. I hold no ill will toward any claiming indigenous ancestry. Nor do I believe they should have any rights or privileges differing from all other citizens. The incongruence of a Native American with leather wrap, head dress and spear, having a cell phone in his back pouch must be acknowledged and addressed. If the treaty entitled must be separate nations with separate rights, that separation should be the same as it is with all other separate nations. That would include tariffs, taxation, travel restrictions, ( including border stations ), and codified trade agreements. I would prefer all tribal members simply be friends and neighbors, but if they must have separate rights, they must be treated like all other separate nations. It's an in or out, but not both, common sense thing.
How is sales tax at tribal businesses treated? We’ve heard the gouging that goes on at the fuel pump and how some of that tax money is returned to the tribe. But, if I buy $10 sandwich at the casino, tack on 88 cents for sales tax, how is that 88 cents split? Is the small percentage of “local tax” returned to the County, the rest to the State? Same could be asked of Lodging tax. Every penny adds up. Probably too complex…..
The tax is collected, but it isn't SST (State Sales Tax), it's TST (Tribal Sales Tax), and it goes right back to the Tribe. Check your receipt next time you play a round of golf at "The Cedars at Dungeness" or go to dinner at the Casino.
Same with lodging tax... collected, but it stays with the Tribe.
And here is what they are pushing for next: The tribe bought the block on the NW corner of Sequim's main intersection. That block has 11 businesses that lease from the Tribe (including Hurricane Coffee). The Tribe is pushing, at the state level, to collect sales tax from non-tribal businesses on tribal land. In other words, they want the sales tax collected from businesses like Hurricane Coffee.
Ken, those are such good questions. Thank you! I've tried some research but I'm not sure how easy it would be to find the answers. The JST finances are so muddled, distorted, intertwined and "sovereign" nobody on the outside could climb the hurdles (or allowed to)
It’s been a long long drawn out battle with the Charter Review Commissioner Meetings. So much time wasted. Below is some quotes by Jeff Tozzer in his radio portion. I chose this small roadblock (BELOW) by CRC commissioner, Paul Pickett, to point out that the CRC should have stayed focused on what is best for the tax paying citizens (nonpartisan) but the CRC and its decisions became anything but that.
QUOTES FROM Jeff Tozzer Transcripts Oct 15, 2025
“Monday night's Charter Review Commission meeting...before public comment, does anyone have any items they want to remove from the agenda? Which Paul Pickett, remember he's the one that calls me Clown County crotch dog. He called everyone against the water steward position as a vocal minority...But he's called me something twice (Jennifer added the missing cuss word ASSHOLE) ... he said he wanted to remove something from the agenda...
And it was the agenda item I had added with a bunch of supporting paperwork and emails and documents. He wanted to remove the, what was it? It was called like Charter Review Commission Security and Open Public Meetings Act violations...”
“5/3/2025 Charter Review Commission Needs Your Input! Paul J. Pickett, Charter Review Commission, District 2 Clallam County Democrats
Paul Pickett: Clallam County has a unique form of government. We are one of only seven counties that have a Home Rule Charter. It’s the constitution of our County, and governs our county government, instead of relying only on state laws.
Unfortunately, most of the public comments so far appear to REPRESENT A SMALL SEGMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY. One of the current CRC Commissioners writes a blog called Clallam County Watchdog, and ALMOST ALL OF THE COMMENTS TO DATE ECHO THE COMMENTARY IN THAT BLOG, closely following Republican talking points. VERY FEW PEOPLE WITH LIBERAL OR PROGRESSIVE LEANINGS HAVE COMMENTED”
Jennifer: SO, THIS LATEST ARTICLE IS SO WELL LAID OUT, IT GIVES ME HOPE. SO SING IT!!!
Republican talking points? That makes no sense at all??? "Yes folks today on FOX, again, we focus entirely on Clallam County!" Good grief... Always talk in an echo chamber...
Many may not know but the tribes get to keep 75% of the gas tax. In 2024 that amounted to 68.4 Million back to the tribes. Now this is for the whole state of Washington but is a significant amount. Here is a link to the 2024 fuel tax report.
I just wanted to thank everyone who has been working to find better ways for our government to actually listen to the good folks of Clallam County and to make the necessary common-sense changes to improve our government systems and the overall community~!
I read that I'd a tribal member buys land from a citizen they have to pay tax. That's why some of the properties in the assessors website shows the payments. The thing that's wrong is the values are changed, so the amount is really low. One property shows it was worth $800,000.00 then changed so the taxable amount is only $1000.00. Click on every sale and you'll see the difference.
One more thing, since the Jamestown members didn't sign the treaty and move on the reservation set aside for them, in exchange for fishing rights on open and unclaimed land, in common with all citizens (they always leave the last part out) are they part of the treaty? I don't see how they could be.
I looked up being a citizen and live on sovereign land, you can't claim to be both. And all taxes collected from citizens are supposed to be sent to the state. Did Inslee have the power to change these things? Natives should not be allowed to give money to politicians. The little creek casino members gave 3 million to the democratic party. And nonprofits are not allowed to endorse any politician.
The 'lost' tax revenues are roughly 3 times the kommissars salaries...We're getting screwed!
Just recall those 3 useless dog-and-pony NWO agents and we can get some real leaders who will lead us into common sense...balanced budgets...fair and impartial duty to the people.
I'm sure JKT will hire all 3...or 'throw them under the bus!'
We need to stop all outside lobbying by JKT, their agents, ALL NGO's...ALL NPO's...if 'outsiders' have good ideas they want to float, there is a process for that...ANY secret dealings between public 'officials' and 'private' interests is ethically a dismissal offense!
If we don't get a handle on the values driving the government we are completely f'd!😱
'Alex' told me yesterday that county governments have done away with ethics boards/committees because it embroiled the government in endless litigation...seems suspect to me unless both 'agencies' are unethical...the ethics committee HAS to have power of removal from office for repeated ethical breaches...it has to be MORE powerful than the agency it oversees otherwise it is just a battle of wits and wills.
It's not that difficult to tell right from wrong...the grey areas shouldn't be running the county to ruin!🤪
A few days ago, there was a discussion about how many county employees there are, and here's the answer:
458 total # of county employees
I think the # of full-time positions is 333 or 337... so there are quite a few part-timers combined into that number.
For anyone who missed this meeting the recording is a worthy listen that backs up everything in this article.
This isn't the first time that we've heard the teeth gnashing about targeting the tribes. What these activists don't want to talk about is that it's a BIA requirement that Congress included for the request to convert to be sent to the affected county for the exact reasons Commissioner Richards is focused on. Richards, nor anyone else made this up to "target" anyone.
The history is there that it's a balance, as in equity for both the tribes and the locally affected governments. This is nothing new for any US recognized tribe and they've always known that it's part of the requirement they're actions are obligated to. The failure of a county to respond is a direct policy that supports the tribes before it represents the people. Just because a county responds to a BIA letter doesn't mean that the BIA will act in the interest of a county in every matter so conflating a county response to it having unilateral weight shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the process.
What's missing in our government representation is balance, and the proposal Richards is championing is worthy of a vote of the people, not 15 people because that's not their role.
While I can't disagree with Chairwoman Fisch's request to have the amendment also address other situations that impact revenues they aren't the same, not even close. How would Fisch envision the BOCCC address a decrease in tax revenue from the WA DNR when the only mechanism is to lobby in Olympia and hope for a change in state law? Responding to a BIA letter is momentary and occurs because the BIA initiated the contact. Changing WA state law takes an inordinate time commitment, and adds costs to the county.
Commissioner Richards is a unique person who I've chided for other decisions that I disagree with, but I've also identified when I thought his actions were spot on. IMO, he's 100% spot on with this amendment and I thank him for his hard work in researching the implications of the cost to Clallam County when our BOCC fail to act.
I agree, MK., Comm. Richards has been thorough, diligent, and persistent in his commitment to bringing the BIA requirement to fruition. I applaud him for staying on task and pursuing what is right and not being distracted by unfounded claims from felliw commissioners. Comm. Richrds deserves the credit.
MK, my questions are:
(1) If the commissioners respond, how convincing of a letter (facts, figures, implications) would be included? A weak letter goes nowhere.
(2) Who would be part of the formation of the letter?
(3) Publication of the letter? Notification to public? Ease of access?
There is no doubt that JKT is in an advantageous business position, thanks in no small part to treaty rights and what many see as ineptitude by the commissioners, but what many others see as a case of some members of the commission being controlled by JKT (their crazy talk progressive politics aside.) We should never forget that, despite the good things that JKT does for the community, it is in direct competition with the county for resources, money, power, and control. We need a commission that will play hardball in its business dealings with JKT and will always put county taxpayers first.
I was very irritated at Monday night's CRC meeting. The security issue was on the agenda and should have been discussed. Paul Pickett is a coward. He called Comm. Tozzer and a**hole TWICE during CRC meetings with no admonishing from Chairwoman Fisch. He cannot face the public comments and scrutiny, so he calls us a minority. He, along with his co-conspirators, doesn't want the pushback of a taxpayer funded security guard, so they vote to remove the security item from the agenda. What are they afraid of? Jeff! They know he's right. The security issue is important and needs to face serious debate and repercussions. Once again, the CRC, under the executive leadership of Susan Fisch, Chris Noble, and Mark Hodgson, has failed. Those Commissioners who have fought valiantly on behalf of CC citizens, thank you for your continued efforts and your bravery in this fight. We're with you, Jeff Tozzer!
Thanks Denise for comment.
I would like to add:
I think many of us here have been to business meetings.
This meeting in particular, struck me as very adolescent.
It was mismanaged.. Susan’s Cheshire cat grin made me cringe.
- Grandstanding at its finest Jeff.
I was aloof they can ask to have things removed and not discussed to have something tabled.
Alex Fane sits on the Sequim City Planning Committee as well.
His demeanor and agenda seems familiar.
This committee has no “Team” everyone is angry and it would appear they do not “Like” Jeff Tozzer, therefore making him “always” the odd man out.
Why?
Because he has big balls and is bringing Truth and awareness to the people of Clallam County.
I see hostility and fat brains.
- Secondly, I am floored that our prior Sheriff voted not to have open Town Hall meetings to the public.
I will leave that here for thought.💥
Benedict also voted "Abstain" for the removal of security item from the agenda. Very odd and suspicious.
By their own insistance, the Jamestown Tribe is a soverign nation. So, the question is, why is a soverign nation funding local political campaigns? Would we allow Canada to do that? Would we allow Mexico do that? Would we allow China fund local political campaign? I think we would call that election interference by other nations. Why doesn't the same logic apply to the soveren nation of Jamestown Indians? Maybe they should stop buying undue influence on county politics when they have no interest in it except to figure out how to take financial benefit?
Maybe they should only be able to keep the revenue amount equal to the percentage of indi!an blood in them.
Mac, then if they meet the threshold for qualifying for the TAX EXEMPTION, it would work and be fair. : )
My Mother used to call me a Wild Indian...or Worse...a Wild Hawnyauk...whatever that was...so I identify as someone who should receive reparations because my mom was a racist and emotionally abused me...😎
Give it up...Clallam County...you know it's the right thing to do!🤣
Financial benefit is the tip of the iceberg of control they have planned for us!😊
Kudos to Richards. Thanks Jeff. The checkering is an issue and it is part of the "compensation mechanism". They can't say they have not received compensation for their "bad relationship."
It is time ..well past time to pepper the DOI with letters and information.
I think they went too far and I think the globalist members of the Democratic party are just as much to blame as JST.
It's satan's army...they always pick the weakest leaders...for obvious reasons!😎
So tired of the corruption of these people.
The charter review has failed us. What was a simple, noble, and worthy exercise has been thwarted. There are those on the commission who failed to complete the primary purpose: to act on behalf of the public to ensure local government remains efficient, responsive and suitable for the community's needs. They did NOT take in public input. They did NOT propose amendments. They did not give the citizens the opportunity to vote on proposals.
They failed the people by allowing partisan bias, failing to pay attention to the public, lacked transparency, and focused on narrow political interests rather than broad community needs. The conversations were ineffective, counterproductive and not serving the public interests. They appeared secretive and this erodes public trust.
Some, including the chair, undercut other charter review members that they perceived of as political opponents, pushed one recommendation (that benefited one party) over another, and pushed ideological changes -- which was never the mandate. There was a clear conflict of interest.
We should not be the victims here.
I would like to see everyone, and I mean EVERYONE contact the Washington State Auditors Office through it's "online citizen complaint form" https://sao.wa.gov/report-concern/how-report-concern/citizen-hotline or by calling them directly. The SAOs office needs to determine if the charter review commission has adhered to applicable state laws, regulations, an it's own procedures. Then, contact the Office of the Attorney General Ombuds ...The Ombuds can provide guidance to the public and elected officials regarding open meetings and public records. You can contact the Ombuds by email at AGOOmbuds@atg.wa.gov or by phone at (360) 570-3418.
The Ombuds is a neutral third party to ensure compliance with laws. The laws of our state exist to promote democracy and ensure government transparency. We, the public, must hold the government accountable through whatever means the government has left open for us to use.
We are only powerless if we don't use the few avenues we have.
This missing tax base question is addressed on the other side of the aisle in such an asinine manner, I’m hesitant to write. Their response is, to get the County’s senior citizens to pay their fair share, as many of them are claiming a senior’s exemption that the County offers. Huh? Bull.
I doubt that there are enough exempt seniors out there that own property to equal what Jeff has to pay annually. Your income has to be so low in this county that you could not possibly own anything!
Mac, here are the figures https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13552/Senior-Exemption-Income-limit-increase
New Legislation Increases Senior and Disabled Persons Income Limits
for Tax Purposes Clallam County 08-08-2023 – Clallam County’s Assessor’s Office is alerting the public of new income limits that affect taxes for senior citizens and people with disabilities in Clallam County
What does this mean for taxes?
The threshold for qualifying for the TAX EXEMPTION is 70% of the county median, or
$46,000 for 2024 taxes. The threshold for the TAX DEFERRAL is 75% of the county median, or $49,239 for 2024 taxes.
The Clallam County Assessor’s ENCOURAGES ANYONE encourages anyone who thinks they may qualify under the new limits to contact the office at 360-417-2505 between 8:00 – 4:30, Monday through Friday.
Jennifer. Thanks for the research. Like the left says, “too many seniors have exemptions”. A lie.
you certainly could not afford to pay the property taxes.
Who and how is the median income determined?
it's just a math problem... some government agency collects all the gross incomes, arranges them in order from lowest to highest then finds the midpoint. It's based on our zip code tax returns (and yes, this data could be available to anyone, however.... unless you are a database wizard, uggh). The Governments "US Census" and the the HUD (housing and urban development) are the ones who publish this kind of income data. The most common source for newspaper articles, etc., is datausa.io (https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clallam-county-wa) which is based on the 2023 census data. OR, datacommons.org
JJW this is one source
In 2023, Clallam County, WA had a population of 77.6k people with a median age of 51.8 and a median household income of $67,999. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Clallam County, WA grew from 77,333 to 77,593, a 0.336% increase and its median household income grew from $66,108 to $67,999, a 2.86% increase.
The 5 largest ethnic groups in Clallam County, WA are White (Non-Hispanic) (80.8%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (5.27%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (3.39%), White (Hispanic) (2.05%), and Other (Hispanic) (1.77%).
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clallam-county-wa
If anyone is going for bankruptcy, they can keep their homes (and one vehicle) as Wa has a generous allowance for homestead that is based on the median home prices. Clallam County allows you to keep up to 100% of your home if it is under $500,00 as of 2024. It takes a lot of paperwork and research but it can be done (Chapter 7) without a lawyer. I'm putting this in because it is happening to many people as we speak.
Ken, I agree, it is pure BULL. I'm not sure if any figures can be accurate as there are two classes. Regardless, Senior and Disability Exemptions should not be a counter point or argued. These are people who are in true need and I have no problem with that. The taxes are REDUCED (according to income) not eliminated. The property STAYS on the tax role and is then taxed accordingly when the property is sold or transferred. Not so with Trust Land.
The EXEMPTION PROGRAM REDUCES the property tax liability, without having to repay taxes or having a lien placed against your home.
The DEFERRAL PROGRAM allows the State of Washington to pay property taxes on your behalf, placing a lien against the property until the state is paid back in full including interest. This lien becomes payable, together with interest, upon sale, transfer, or inheritance of the property
Generally what they are telling folks, we’re losing too much money with senior exemption. Look for the day for “alphabet politics” to some day change the tax exemption status for the county. Hopefully not in my lifetime.
Probably why they were quick to dispense with the Exemption Specialist at the Assessor’s office; slowing down the whole application process
Is there a figure that represents the total amount of senior exemption, both dollar and number of persons count? I'm sure its less than $3mil.
Eric- in a recent TRPA post I asked Kevin Van De Wege (past politician) for the amount because of his terse comment…
“Senior Property Tax Exemption costs you far more than anything the tribes do”. He did not respond to my question. I tried to research it but couldn’t get the info. I would be very curious for the answer…
Eric, what pisses me off is that senior exemptions are even included in the talk. It's beyond cruel! It is a program much needed. My God, drag in extremely vulnerable people and compare them to JST? It makes me want to smack the stupid out of whoever does that sort of comparison. It's like they want to turn it back on the taxpayers and we are suppose to donate to our seniors like donating to the Humane Society?!!! As you can read, I'm very worked up on this one. Then again, lost votes there. Seniors are the biggest percentage of voters!
i will be your *relief smacker
Teresa, better yet, you hold the feet, I hold the pillow. It's time for them to be put down. They have no use for us anymore. ; )
Jennifer,
That’s what prior military call a “blanket party”.
Yeah, i dont think they us do that anymore.
LOL
well.. maybe now.
😄
Totally agree!!!
The reasoning behind treaties was laudable. Unfortunately, it no longer is. While many treaty entitled still practice ancestral and cultural reverence, the "old ways" have been abandoned in favor of non-treaty entitled created infrastructure, mechanization and technology. I hold no ill will toward any claiming indigenous ancestry. Nor do I believe they should have any rights or privileges differing from all other citizens. The incongruence of a Native American with leather wrap, head dress and spear, having a cell phone in his back pouch must be acknowledged and addressed. If the treaty entitled must be separate nations with separate rights, that separation should be the same as it is with all other separate nations. That would include tariffs, taxation, travel restrictions, ( including border stations ), and codified trade agreements. I would prefer all tribal members simply be friends and neighbors, but if they must have separate rights, they must be treated like all other separate nations. It's an in or out, but not both, common sense thing.
How is sales tax at tribal businesses treated? We’ve heard the gouging that goes on at the fuel pump and how some of that tax money is returned to the tribe. But, if I buy $10 sandwich at the casino, tack on 88 cents for sales tax, how is that 88 cents split? Is the small percentage of “local tax” returned to the County, the rest to the State? Same could be asked of Lodging tax. Every penny adds up. Probably too complex…..
The tax is collected, but it isn't SST (State Sales Tax), it's TST (Tribal Sales Tax), and it goes right back to the Tribe. Check your receipt next time you play a round of golf at "The Cedars at Dungeness" or go to dinner at the Casino.
Same with lodging tax... collected, but it stays with the Tribe.
And here is what they are pushing for next: The tribe bought the block on the NW corner of Sequim's main intersection. That block has 11 businesses that lease from the Tribe (including Hurricane Coffee). The Tribe is pushing, at the state level, to collect sales tax from non-tribal businesses on tribal land. In other words, they want the sales tax collected from businesses like Hurricane Coffee.
With the BIA supposedly having a basis against ccheckering
Went to the small finger. checkering you would think any kind of letter from the commissioners would have some effect. Probably naive on my part.
Ken, those are such good questions. Thank you! I've tried some research but I'm not sure how easy it would be to find the answers. The JST finances are so muddled, distorted, intertwined and "sovereign" nobody on the outside could climb the hurdles (or allowed to)
It’s been a long long drawn out battle with the Charter Review Commissioner Meetings. So much time wasted. Below is some quotes by Jeff Tozzer in his radio portion. I chose this small roadblock (BELOW) by CRC commissioner, Paul Pickett, to point out that the CRC should have stayed focused on what is best for the tax paying citizens (nonpartisan) but the CRC and its decisions became anything but that.
QUOTES FROM Jeff Tozzer Transcripts Oct 15, 2025
“Monday night's Charter Review Commission meeting...before public comment, does anyone have any items they want to remove from the agenda? Which Paul Pickett, remember he's the one that calls me Clown County crotch dog. He called everyone against the water steward position as a vocal minority...But he's called me something twice (Jennifer added the missing cuss word ASSHOLE) ... he said he wanted to remove something from the agenda...
And it was the agenda item I had added with a bunch of supporting paperwork and emails and documents. He wanted to remove the, what was it? It was called like Charter Review Commission Security and Open Public Meetings Act violations...”
https://www.clallamdemocrats.org/blog/charter-review-commission-needs-your-input
“5/3/2025 Charter Review Commission Needs Your Input! Paul J. Pickett, Charter Review Commission, District 2 Clallam County Democrats
Paul Pickett: Clallam County has a unique form of government. We are one of only seven counties that have a Home Rule Charter. It’s the constitution of our County, and governs our county government, instead of relying only on state laws.
Unfortunately, most of the public comments so far appear to REPRESENT A SMALL SEGMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY. One of the current CRC Commissioners writes a blog called Clallam County Watchdog, and ALMOST ALL OF THE COMMENTS TO DATE ECHO THE COMMENTARY IN THAT BLOG, closely following Republican talking points. VERY FEW PEOPLE WITH LIBERAL OR PROGRESSIVE LEANINGS HAVE COMMENTED”
Jennifer: SO, THIS LATEST ARTICLE IS SO WELL LAID OUT, IT GIVES ME HOPE. SO SING IT!!!
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright sun shiny day
Looks like Pickett just contradicted himself calling public commentors the minority while claiming them to be the majority of commentors.
What does he rely on to assert there's some other "majority?"
MK That's funny and true. Pickett is a true oxy-MORON and lives up to his name.
"Picketers" put pressure on the party targeted to meet particular demands or cease operations.
good find 🤩
Republican talking points? That makes no sense at all??? "Yes folks today on FOX, again, we focus entirely on Clallam County!" Good grief... Always talk in an echo chamber...
Many may not know but the tribes get to keep 75% of the gas tax. In 2024 that amounted to 68.4 Million back to the tribes. Now this is for the whole state of Washington but is a significant amount. Here is a link to the 2024 fuel tax report.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://dol.wa.gov/media/pdf/3665/2024-tribal-fuel-tax-reportpdf/download?inline
Need to repost link.. not working 😎
I just wanted to thank everyone who has been working to find better ways for our government to actually listen to the good folks of Clallam County and to make the necessary common-sense changes to improve our government systems and the overall community~!
Thank you all for your wonderful efforts~!
Sincerely, Muke
I read that I'd a tribal member buys land from a citizen they have to pay tax. That's why some of the properties in the assessors website shows the payments. The thing that's wrong is the values are changed, so the amount is really low. One property shows it was worth $800,000.00 then changed so the taxable amount is only $1000.00. Click on every sale and you'll see the difference.
One more thing, since the Jamestown members didn't sign the treaty and move on the reservation set aside for them, in exchange for fishing rights on open and unclaimed land, in common with all citizens (they always leave the last part out) are they part of the treaty? I don't see how they could be.
I looked up being a citizen and live on sovereign land, you can't claim to be both. And all taxes collected from citizens are supposed to be sent to the state. Did Inslee have the power to change these things? Natives should not be allowed to give money to politicians. The little creek casino members gave 3 million to the democratic party. And nonprofits are not allowed to endorse any politician.
Bot
clusterfuck
noun
1. a disastrously mishandled situation or undertaking
The 'lost' tax revenues are roughly 3 times the kommissars salaries...We're getting screwed!
Just recall those 3 useless dog-and-pony NWO agents and we can get some real leaders who will lead us into common sense...balanced budgets...fair and impartial duty to the people.
I'm sure JKT will hire all 3...or 'throw them under the bus!'
We need to stop all outside lobbying by JKT, their agents, ALL NGO's...ALL NPO's...if 'outsiders' have good ideas they want to float, there is a process for that...ANY secret dealings between public 'officials' and 'private' interests is ethically a dismissal offense!
If we don't get a handle on the values driving the government we are completely f'd!😱
'Alex' told me yesterday that county governments have done away with ethics boards/committees because it embroiled the government in endless litigation...seems suspect to me unless both 'agencies' are unethical...the ethics committee HAS to have power of removal from office for repeated ethical breaches...it has to be MORE powerful than the agency it oversees otherwise it is just a battle of wits and wills.
It's not that difficult to tell right from wrong...the grey areas shouldn't be running the county to ruin!🤪