Editor’s note: The following post was written by Dawn Duckett of Cottonwood, scheduled for presentation during today’s Shasta County Board of Supervisor’s public comment period.
Good morning Board.
With the election coming up in two weeks, I want to address a campaign narrative that I believe is misleading to voters.
As someone who spent decades working in county fiscal matters, I believe voters deserve precision in language and honesty about financial impacts.
Supervisor Kevin Crye repeatedly refers to himself as a “tax fighter.” But the reality is this Board has no authority over taxes. Taxes are governed by state law and voter-approved measures. So if someone truly wanted to run as a tax fighter, they would need to seek a different office.
What I believe he is actually referring to are fees.
Yes, development impact fees were suspended. But those impacts did not magically disappear. Roads still wear out. Infrastructure still has to be maintained. Public safety costs still exist. The expense was simply shifted from developers onto the backs of taxpayers.
That is not eliminating costs. That is transferring costs.
Another example often cited was a county fee adjustment that reportedly resulted in a few hundred people receiving refunds averaging around twelve dollars each.
If that is the signature accomplishment after four years, I would suggest taxpayers also look at the other side of the ledger.
This county has now faced mounting legal exposure tied to controversial personnel and administrative decisions. We saw the Benjamin Nowain matter result in significant taxpayer expense. We now have threats of additional litigation involving the ROV a
along with multiple claims from former employees.
So before voters accept slogans like “tax fighter,” they should ask a simple question: Have county taxpayers actually saved money over the last four years — or have we simply traded small fee reductions for massive legal and administrative costs?
Dawn Duckett lives in Cottonwood.
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