Letter to Editor | Candidate’s dreams are spendy

||| FROM BILL WATSON |||

I read Katherine Ingman Bryant’s goals to improve health care services in San Juan County and was struck by one glaring omission: How much will all of this cost—and where will the money come from?

San Juan County is facing a serious budget crisis. Health Services have already been cut to the bone, and 2028 is expected to bring even deeper cuts. Against that backdrop, promising expanded health care services without explaining the price tag isn’t a plan. It’s a wish list.

And the price tag could be enormous—potentially far exceeding the cost of the levy that voters rejected last spring.

There’s another fundamental issue: Does she understand what the County Council can actually do? A councilmember has one seat—and one voice—on the Board of Health. The council does not have unilateral authority over county health services.

The Board of Health meetings are public. They’re recorded. They’re a pretty good place to start for anyone proposing major changes to county health care.

Big promises are easy. Paying for them—and understanding how county government actually works—is the hard part.