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Residents press commissioners on timber pauses, tribal trust transfers and revenue impacts; commissioners outline engagement with DNR
Summary
Residents pressed the Clallam County Board of Commissioners to address timber-harvest pauses, tribal land-in-trust conversions and the resulting revenue impacts; commissioners described prior engagement with the Department of Natural Resources and the county—s Revenue Advisory Committee as a mechanism to represent local taxing districts.
During both public-comment periods at the Oct. 14 meeting, multiple residents raised concerns about state timber sales, recent pauses on harvests, and the fiscal impact on local taxing districts. Speakers also asked about two parcels the Jamestown Tribe is reported to be converting to trust status and whether the county received a reply to a prior letter asking the tribe to contribute more to the local tax base.
Public commenters urged the board to take a stronger stance to preserve local timber revenue and to provide transparency on revenue losses. Residents described timber as a key source of jobs and funds for schools, fire districts and other local services and argued that harvest pauses threaten those revenues.
Commissioners responded with a multi-part explanation. They said the board previously invited DNR staff to a multi-hour briefing to review DNR—s selection process, science-based analyses (hydrology, archaeology and biology), and the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review procedures. Commissioners said those sessions showed DNR follows its established rules and that the county has actively sought to provide a balanced approach by recommending particular parcels for conservation where appropriate and advocating for harvests where feasible.
Commissioners described the creation of a county Revenue Advisory Committee to bring together the many junior taxing districts (school districts, fire districts, hospital, etc.) so the county could present a coordinated position to DNR on lands that generate trust revenue. The board noted that the revenue advisory committee has improved the county—s ability to engage with the state land commissioner and to raise concerns about the local economic and fiscal impacts of land management decisions.
Separately, a speaker asked about an interagency agreement with the Jamestown Tribe that would retain documents with the tribe and create a three-person panel to decide whether the county could receive compensation in the case of malfeasance; the speaker said they would not sign such an agreement in its present form. Commissioners acknowledged the comment and said they would follow up. Another public commenter described frustration with property-assessment and senior-exemption processes and asked for better transparency and verification.
The board did not take immediate formal action on DNR policy or tribal agreements during the meeting, but commissioners recorded their intention to continue engagement and noted the Revenue Advisory Committee is a standing vehicle for coordinated county input to the Department of Natural Resources.
