EDITORIAL: On priorities

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On the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, perhaps there is time to take a moment to ponder community priorities.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to take in a few free music events and appreciate the parks throughout the city of Port Townsend and Jefferson County. Take a beach walk at Fort Worden State Park. Fly a kite at Fort Flagler State Park. There are parks from one end of the county to the other.

And that’s where the conversation about priorities might start.

The Brinnon Park & Recreation District was created five years ago at the height of a countywide discussion about whether Jefferson County ought to create a metropolitan park district to support parks throughout the county. Those familiar with the subject might recall that there was a concern that people in Brinnon could be taxed, but get very little benefit in return. The dollars might just stay up north and not flow south. That was the fear du jour.

And so Brinnon property owners opted to do a preemptive strike against such a measure, carving their little district out of consideration for a countywide plan.

But then, those same voters weren’t so keen on actually providing the district with any money to function. In the fall of 2016, voters rejected a proposed six-year property tax of 5 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value. The levy would have raised about $15,000 a year to support the district.

As it is now, the district has about $800 in its treasury and outstanding bills that could exceed that, according to Brinnon parks board member Bud Schindler.

Brinnon’s park district tax woes should serve as a reminder: If taxpayers who have voted in favor of a park district won’t vote to pay a nickel – repeat, a nickel – to support their local parks, then what will happen to other tax requests coming to a ballot near you that might be even more critical for the health and welfare of the community?

In an interview with reporter Ross Anderson, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer is quoted this week as saying, “We have to build resiliency locally, so that it doesn’t matter as much what happens in Washington, D.C.”

Remember that quote, because Kilmer is right.

If we want parks, we’re going to have to pay for them. If we want our boating community to have a safe shelter, we might just have to have to pay for it. If we want affordable housing, we’re going to have to pitch in.

There’s a summer financial storm brewing in Washington, D.C., and the political fallout of tax cuts for the wealthy is going to blow our way. It will blow over the state first and then head to local government. We’d better be ready for a serious local conversation about taxes and community priorities.

The summer solstice is just one glorious day to enjoy all that we have.

At some point, we’ll have to talk about who pays for all the services we enjoy and now take for granted.