PORT ANGELES — Those benefits you take for granted — smooth streets, verdant parks, clean water — are less and less affordable these days.
And a healthy environment? That’s another thing cities want, but have a hard time paying for.
So warned Karen Rogers, the Port Angeles City Council member just elected president of the Association of Washington Cities.
Her presentation to the Port Angeles Business Association on Tuesday was dreary as February, with a sliver of sunshine at the end.
“We need to have a serious conversation about what government should offer as its core services,” Rogers began.
Revenue is shrinking, as cities receive just 13 cents from each $1 in property taxes, and as tax-reform initiatives keep lids on levies.
Those initiatives, like the gunk lining old plumbing, have slowed the flow of money into cities from Port Angeles to Wenatchee to Yakima to Sequim, Rogers said.
The result is a Washington state that’s getting too dehydrated to water its parks, provide recreational activities or even fix streets and sidewalks.
In Port Angeles, “there’s no fat left,” in city government, Rogers added.
“There are so many dedicated public employees who continue to do more with less . . . but there’s not enough money to do what we need to do.”
