The commissioners reacted to the small turnout. Wolfe stated: “I think it’s important to have the meetings even if no one shows up. If no one shows up, that kind of tells us that there’s no reigning controversy. . . It’s more important that we extend the hand than to have someone come and take it from us.”
Neve explained why she attended: “I saw it in the paper and I thought it was great, it was right on the front page and everything. So, that’s why I’m here. . . I think it’s so important to attend these meetings, especially when it’s so obvious that it’s taking place.”
Ayers gave an update on the county’s economy: “I wrote a few things down that have actually been going on in the county, a little bit about the economy as far as the natural resource industries. The way I understand it, seafood is doing okay. Last year the oyster industry had a natural set, a small natural set, but previous to that it had been what seven years since they had a natural set? Cranberries are doing average this year, no records, but they’re holding their own. And the logging industry is doing well. . . So as far as our industries, they seem to be doing pretty good. . . And last year, the majority of the logging, it actually did really well. I think we were over $500,000 in private harvest tax last year and the year before it was about $70,000. . . Last year, the majority of the logging, a lot of it was going to China, it was exported. But this year we’re doing more actual lumber making and doing that in the area.
“Weyerhaeuser just bought all of Longview Timber. . . Not just the timber, but also the shares; they pretty much bought out the company. So that is going to bring about $106,000 in revenue to the county,” Ayers explained. Weyerhaeuser bought approximately 645,000 acres from Longview Timber, increasing the company’s timber holdings to 2.6 million acres in the Pacific Northwest, according to a press release by the company on July 23rd.
Ayers continued, explaining that .09 percent sales tax revenue will be going to two local businesses, the Tokeland marina and the South Bend mill. “That funding, part of that funding is going to the Tokeland marina to help improve the Tokeland marina so we can keep fishermen coming in and out of there and some small docks for tourism . . . And the South Bend mill down here has gotten some of that funding to help to do the drainage and kind of work that has to be done that’s required by the state, the Department of Ecology. That’ll help keep that mill open. They’re hiring, and they’re trying to continue to hire, so hopefully we’ll be getting more jobs there. . . [The sales tax money is] money that’s set aside. . It generally goes to government entities. It’s to support the creation of jobs and the maintenance of jobs. It’s been provided throughout the county, every single year; the applications come in and the money’s divided up.”
Sheriff Johnson followed with an update: “The commissioners have done some wonderful things for us. We’re trying to get back to full manpower, but in the meantime they provided support for two canines. We had two, one just retired because he got old and sick and we’ve got a new one on the way. This dog will be an apprehension dog as well as a drug detection dog. I look at it as almost the same as putting another deputy on the street. They’re very well trained, they bite and hold the person, they’re trained to do so in a controlled manner.”
The sheriff explained: “Just this last year we started a marine patrol boat, we’ve had already three calls for service since we put the boat in the water. It’s mechanically in very good condition and it didn’t require too much to get it put out. It was donated from Cowlitz County to us.
“We’re not flushed with money, we know that; we have to prioritize what’s the most important thing that we spend our money on. I think between the four of us, we’ve done very well in doing that. . . We just looked and meals in June of 2011, the number of meals served was in the 2,000 range. Last year in June it was in the 3,000 range and this year it has exceeded 4,000. And, very impressively, our head cook Terri Karnas, or our food services manager, was able to do that on the same budget that we had for a couple years. And we still get compliments from the inmates that the food’s good,” Sheriff Johnson continued.
Ayers explained the tax structure of the county: “A lot of people don’t understand how the tax levies go. If you pay $1500 a year in taxes. . . people don’t understand that they don’t all go to the county; the county’s just the collector.”
Ayers continued: “Say you’ve got a $100,000 house and you’re outside the City of Raymond. Your taxes this year for a $100,000 house are going to be $1,714. And this is how the taxes are broken down. . . The schools are over 40 percent of the taxes you pay. . . And another almost 14 percent goes to the state school” (refer to figure 1).
Wolfe added: “So more than half your taxes go to the state for schools.”
Ayers explained that the “current expense” portion of taxes is what actually goes to the county: “’Current expense’ is $151 of that $1700 [for a $100,000 home]. So when people look at their taxes and they say they’re giving the county $1700 in taxes and they’re upset, we’re actually only getting $151 out of the current expense.
“The $151.78 that you’re paying to the county, almost 67 percent goes to public safety. Public safety . . . is not just the sheriff’s office. But, this is pretty common, in fact most counties have a little bit more, around 70% of their current expense going to public safety. . . So for $151 [per year], you get all this support,” Ayers pointed out (refer to figure 2).
Discussion from the public included questions on city health and safety ordinances, public departmental consolidation, and local school consolidation.
The next meeting is Tuesday, September 9 at 6 p.m. in Bay Center, location to be determined.