Letter to Editor | We need code updates. Code updates need the county levy lift

||| FROM CHRIS & CHOM GREACEN |||

A “yes” vote on the levy lid lift is a vote to protect the core services that make island life possible: public safety, public health, senior services, and the basic infrastructure of local government.

San Juan County faces a projected $3.7 million shortfall in 2027, equal to roughly 12–13% of the general fund. Of all the property taxes we pay, only about 9% supports the county’s general operations. The county has balanced its 2026 budget through careful management. Costs have risen — for insurance, by as much as 34% in a year. But state-imposed limits on annual property tax growth create a structural gap the county is hoping to address with the Levy Lid Lift. Without it, local officials will have to make hard choices about what services to cut or keep.

Local government today operates under significant legal and regulatory obligations imposed by state and federal laws. For example, the county designates three staff to fulfill public records requests because penalties for non-compliance are severe. A new state mandate lowering caseload limits for public defenders, intended to prevent attorney burnout, requires the county to hire additional attorneys without providing new funding. When revenue is capped and mandates increase, vital but non-mandated services are the only place left to cut.

Code Updates

The county is scheduled to make long-needed code updates that will shape island life for decades. With our newly adopted Comprehensive Plan, we have the opportunity to modernize the codes that govern housing, land use, and energy to ensure what is legal aligns with what is necessary. 

Currently, outdated codes stand in the way of solving our community’s pressing problems of unaffordable housing and energy insecurities.

Community Resilience

A “yes” vote means maintaining reliable public health and senior services. It means sustaining law enforcement coverage across the islands and preserving community assets like our parks and the fairgrounds.

As we prepare for climate impacts like wildfire risks and flooding, maintaining the staff capacity allows the county to aggressively pursue external grants to fund these costly infrastructure efforts. The investment in this workforce will pay for itself many times over the moment a crisis strikes and we are well-prepared.

Chris & Chom Greacen live on on Lopez Island. Chris currently serves as the chair of the Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee. Chom was a co-lead on the Climate COMPASS project, which engaged community members in conversations around climate responsibility and resilience to gather inputs for the Comprehensive Plan update.