Letter to Editor | In support of San Juan County Levy Lift

||| FROM KATIE FLEMING |||

Please understand that I am writing this letter as a private citizen, not in my capacity as a county employee or in any way affiliated with my employer.

I’ve lived on San Juan Island for 15 years, and I feel lucky every day that this is home – the place where I’m raising a family. The natural environment here isn’t a backdrop to our lives, it’s the heart of them.

Hiking through forests, spending sunny days at the beach, exploring our beautiful marine waters – these aren’t just weekend activities, they’re why so many of us chose to live here and why we stay. That quality of life is something I don’t want to take for granted.

It’s no accident that this place feels so remarkable – it’s the result of sustained investment in parks and programs, environmental stewardship, and long-term planning around sustainability and climate change. That investment is now under pressure. San Juan County faces significant financial constraints – limited by the state’s 1% cap on annual tax increases and reduced federal and state funding – and I’m not ready to find out what we’d lose without action.

The levy lid lift restores the tax rate to its 2019 level of $0.85 per $1,000 of assessed value – roughly $22 more per month for the average homeowner. I know property taxes are a burden for many of us. They are for my family too. But to protect these special places, the programs that support them, and the quality of life they make possible, I hope you’ll join me in voting YES by April 28.