By Samuel Strait – Reporter at Large – October 14, 2022 After seeing the recent sample ballot for the upcoming November election, one has to wonder just who is responsible for the descriptions found on the ballot for the various Propositions and Measures. Is it an unbiased third party, particularly when who ever writes the ballot measures and propositions may have something to gain by the wording of the description on the ballot? In 2020 when the County placed Measure "R" on the ballot there was no mention in the proposed ordinance of statements made by County Officials and elected Representatives that no wages or benefits would be covered by Measure "R" funding. In fact the wording was so broad in the ordinance published on the ballot that very few restrictions inhibited the County's government from spending money on just about anything they wished. Should the government officer responsible for writing the description of Propositions and Ballot Measures recuse themselves from that task when they have a vested interest or will receive a benefit from the ballot Measure? We all know that in many cases when various parts of County business are voted on, Elected Representatives are not allowed to participate in the discussion and vote on the particular piece of government business where they have a vested interest. Why is it not the case in this particular instance when the government official receives a benefit in the form of a pay increase that may be rescinded if the Measure that resulted in that pay increase is repealed? Case in point, in the current description of Measure "U" it reads as follows: "Shall the measure to eliminate the one percent sales tax approved by the voters in 2020 (Measure R), which applies in the unincorporated area of Del Norte County (outside the boundaries of Crescent City), thereby reducing the funding available for general county services such as street maintenance/repair, code enforcement, law enforcement, and emergency response, and other services, be adopted?" Where is the admission that the county has expressly violated their contract with the voters to not hire new employees which require pay and benefits and have given the entire work force of the County generous raises? Where is the admission that the County would loose less that one percent of its 2022-2023 operating budget? Where is the admission that the County is otherwise in a very healthy financial position? It was certainly bad enough when the voters were misled in the first place by who ever wrote the first ordinance description in 2020, but this most recent effort by the County's election officials to put their collective "thumb on the scale" with this recent effort to defeat Measure "U" should be beyond the pale. In addition only voters in the unincorporated area of Del Norte County were allowed to vote to approve Measure R. In this recent effort to repeal the sales tax increase, suddenly the voters of Crescent City are now allowed a vote on this measure. How did this happen? Since the passage of Measure "R" by the slimmest of margins, and the complete failure of the County to use the funds for any measurable improvement of County services, there has been nothing but an explosion of wage increases and new employees. In the eighteen, now nearly nineteen months, of collecting the additional sales tax revenue there appears to be a decline in the County's over all performance. Meeting after meeting by our Board of Supervisors contain nothing but the introduction of new employees and further discussions of failing services to the County's residents. Shifting general fund employees to Measure "R" has created numerous opportunity's to the Board to go on extravagant shopping sprees which make things "easier" for the County's work force, but does not halt the sharp increase of the cost of everything including County government. In the past when the County's representatives failed so miserably to provide services commensurate with the level of taxation, the response was swift and clear, often in the next election cycle. In this case the pain produced by all levels of government in the form of high taxation, inflation, and no acceptable recognition by the County government that growing government has not produced any measurable improvement, it is left to the voters to attempt to remedy such malfeasance at the soonest opportunity at the ballot box. It is; therefore, almost criminal that the current proposal to reduce taxation in the County by tax payer initiative, Measures "U" and "T" be met with the clear bias found in the description of both proposals. While it is too late to correct this over reach by our local Election Officials, perhaps it is time for local voters to consider an impeachment of those in that office in the near future. November the 8th has become an important time in Del Norte County to send a message to local officials that now is not the time for them to be checking things off the County's wish list and start thinking about those that they are meant to serve. Vote YES when you receive you ballot to lower the County's sales tax. That's YES on Measures T and U.