By David Sherman

Congratulations newspaper, you are spot on for your reporting the three Island County commissioners completely ignored almost a unanimous room full of both Whidbey and Camano residents and went ahead to sign a contract with a Seattle attorney at $480 per hour to write an ordinance on how to charge us county residents almost $2,000,000 every year in new fees for each property owner.

Less than 30 days ago Commissioner Dean in a letter to the paper said he heard the overwhelming no vote on no new taxes and additional spending. He either forgot that letter or he never meant it. Now he voted to pay over $20,000 to have a “lawsuit proof” law written on how to start a new county wide fee thereby ignoring the public no vote and get the money he thought the county would get with Prop. 1. My guess is they will use the new $2,000,000 worth of annual fees to pay for water projects the county has historically done with the general fund and use the freed up money to continue with their normal if not new spending.

The paper reported the commissioners agreed this summer to phase in the elements of the new program. Did I miss that public discussion or was that agreement without a public hearing? So much for Commissioner Angie Homola’s comment regarding open government. She said so many people showing up was a sign of good open government. I always thought part of open government was listening to and then doing the will of the majority of the people. Her action reminds me of congressional action this summer on health care, don’t listen to the people but just pass laws and spend more.

At least Commissioner Helen Johnson was honest. She clearly said they would add a little onto the fee every year. Unfortunately these three commissioners are devising a way to be able to raise as much additional money every year with an always-increasing fee on every resident to pay for whatever new idea or program one of them may have, all with complete disregard to the will of the majority of the people.

I do have one question to the commissioners. How long do you think you will retain your elected position when you pass this never-ending, ever-increasing new fee? My solution is to vote John out this November and then Angie out November 2012 as well as Helen if she continues this discard of the public’s input. Maybe new commissioners can then turn off this new fee.

The voters told the commissioners almost 2 to 1 to prioritize and cut spending and live within your revenue.

David Sherman is a member of the Oak Harbor School Board and helped write the opposition statement to the Proposition 1 proposal on the online voters’s guide.