Clallam County commissioners postponed adopting their 2003 budget Tuesday, but they increased taxes by a 2-1 vote.
The only Republican on the three-member board, Mike Chapman of Port Angeles, cast the dissenting vote on raising the county’s property taxes by 1 percent and road taxes by 1 percent.
Chapman told Commissioners Mike Doherty, D-Port Angeles, and Steve Tharinger, D-Dungeness, that he voted against the increases because “the people say no new taxes.”
When Doherty asked Chapman to come up with more budget cuts, Chapman said he had, “but they were ignored.”
Tharinger said the tax increase was necessary only to “provide a base” to continue quality county services, and he also saw it as a show of support for county employees.
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News Clallam County edition. Click on SUBSCRIBE, above, to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
