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Residents press commissioners on tribal land transfers, Medicaid cuts and county priorities during public comment
Summary
Multiple residents urged Clallam County commissioners to act on concerns about tribal land going into trust and the effect on the tax base, potential federal Medicaid cuts and county budgeting priorities. Speakers asked the board to advocate at higher levels and to be transparent about local fundraising proposals for the Upper Elwha Road.
During the meeting's public-comment periods on March 11, several residents raised concerns about the county's fiscal health, federal policy changes and perceived priorities.
Eric Fairman said he was alarmed by recent land-to-trust transfers, which he said remove acreage from the county tax rolls and erode revenue. "With another 52.74 acres removed from the tax rolls due to a land and to trust transfer to the Jamestown tribe, the county commissioners remain silent," Fairman said. He said additional parcels recently approved for trust status would further reduce tax revenue and questioned whether county officials had communicated expected fiscal impacts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
John Worthington criticized the county's economic-development efforts and questioned the return on local investments, saying, "Since you formed it, we flatlined. Since you formed it, the GDP for the county is flatlined." He also criticized funding relationships and overhead levels for certain local programs.
Several speakers raised alarm about possible federal cuts to Medicaid and other programs. Stuart Kiel asked the board to add a formal agenda item and a public statement opposing what he described as "the destruction of the government by Putin, Musk, and Trump," and asked commissioners to explain why they might not make such a statement. Other residents, including Dorothy Grace and Catherine (last name given as "Skay" in the record), urged county leaders to coordinate and advocate for continued federal support for health and social programs.
Residents also asked for clarity on a proposal related to the Upper Elwha Road. Commissioners clarified on the record that the county is not hosting or soliciting crowdfunding for road repairs and warned the public to beware of solicitations that imply the county is collecting donations. Commissioner remarks explained the county is communicating with the governor's office about whether state strategic reserve funding could be used; state law requires private contributions accompany any use of that reserve (RCW 43.330.250), county staff said.
Other commenters requested county guidance on how residents could respond to federal policy changes, including options for public advocacy. Commissioners invited staff to provide follow-up information where appropriate and noted the subject will appear in future discussions.
This portion of the meeting included extended public comment; no formal board action resulted directly from the comments.
Quotes used in this article are taken verbatim from public commenters recorded in the meeting transcript.
