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Residents press council on rising prison costs, proposed large tax increases and election transparency
Summary
Multiple public commenters criticized the proposed 2026 prison budget and rising property taxes, raised provisional ballot and election‑vendor concerns, and one speaker served a federal summons challenging the county’s draft Human Relations Commission ordinance.
Speakers during the public‑comment period pressed the council on three recurring themes: prison operating costs, proposed tax increases and election administration.
Cynthia Sabatini (Upper Providence) cited figures in the proposed 2026 budget and said the county’s George W. Hill Correctional Facility operating cost is projected to be about $61.5 million in 2026, which she characterized as “beyond problematic” given what she said is a lower prison population; she asked the council to explain why costs rose while the incarcerated population declined. Sabatini also warned that a proposed 19% tax increase on top of the 24% increase enacted for 2025 would deepen residents’ financial strain.
Other commenters, including Michael Straub and Kathy Buckley, echoed concerns about repeated large tax hikes and called for greater transparency and a multi‑year plan. Michael Straub said the proposed 2026 budget shows a 6% spending increase from 2025 and warned taxpayers should see the budget before elections.
Several speakers raised election‑process questions. Laura Lewis recounted provisional‑ballot concerns and urged that suspicious or duplicate submissions be reported to the district attorney under cited statutory provisions; council members replied that provisional ballots exist to protect voters who cannot verify mailed‑ballot receipt and that the county’s process checks for prior ballots before counting provisional votes.
Gregory Stenstrom used his time to complete service of a federal complaint challenging Ordinance 2025‑6 (the draft Human Relations Commission ordinance), noting related litigation and indicating that court filings will address subsequent county action.
No formal council action followed these public comments during the meeting; several council members responded to questions about election procedures and noted ongoing reviews related to the budget and ordinance drafting.
