2025-12-01-bocc-public-hearing-supporting-documents

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?Xcc �:W Public Comment-December 19 2025 Kittitas County Public Hearing & Ellensburg City Council Meeting Submitted by: Pat Kelleher The fundamental distinction between county government and private enterprise is purpose. Counties exist to serve the public interest and provide essential services; private businesses exist to generate profit and maximize shareholder value. Increasingly,however, local governments are entering areas better suited to private industry, while struggling to perform core government functions efficiently. Vehicle licensing is a clear example. The government does not hold a monopoly in this area, and private agents—offering the same services at the same price—provide a far superior customer experience. Likewise, no state-run liquor store could survive in today's market. The fiscal landscape is shifting dramatically. The United States has reached the practical limits of deficit expansion. According to the Washington State Senate Ways & Means Committee, the state's projected shortfall will reach $1.1 billion by the end of the 2027-2029 biennium. Locally, Kittitas County has adopted a 2026 deficit of$3.35 million, and the Ellensburg School District a deficit of$2.4 million. Property taxpayers are tapped out. This was made clear by the 69% "no" vote on the recent Kittitas County Road Levy-despite roads being one of the most fundamental responsibilities of county government. Millions of dollars generated as interest from prepaid taxes, reserve funds, and bond proceeds— so-called"arbitrage"—are being used to support new spending rather than retire capital obligations or return funds to taxpayers. Revenues are no longer keeping pace with government spending. With 388 FTEs and $50 million in salaries and benefits, the County now spends an average of$128,865 per employee. Despite projecting a 2026 deficit, the Board of County Commissioners approved pay raises for elected officials—something no private business could justify. Meanwhile, the minimal 1% levy lift adopted by both the County and the City amounts to collecting the last pennies from taxpayers' pockets. Central Washington University frequently states, "Everything we do here at Central is about collaboration and partnership... all boats rise when we work together."Yet CWU's declining enrollment-down roughly 3,000 students at an annual cost of attendance of$33,000 represents a loss of approximately $99 million per year. This is the single largest sinking ship in Kittitas County, and local businesses built around the student economy are going down with it. Another sinking ship is the City of Cle Elum, which declared insolvency prior to filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy—the second municipal bankruptcy in Washington State history. The BOCC awarded Cle Elum $6.8 million for tourism-related infrastructure. Anyone who reads Section 8 of the entitling documents will see that the County has now embraced a financial tar baby.