By Samuel Strait, Reporter at Large – January 9, 2021 It has recently been established that we now have a new watch dog group in Del Norte County. As 2020 has passed into 2021, and 2020 was a particularly harsh year for many of Del Norte County's citizens and taxpayers, perhaps this new group will unearth how money is being spent by our various taxpayer funded entities. The following list may be a starting point for the group. Has Del Norte County's government looked into ways to reduce spending? Have the County's employees had raises or other forms of increased compensation in the past year? Have there been any layoffs due to Covid-19 restrictions that have been due to a reduced work load? When the County begins to receive money from the recently passed Measure R will the public be apprised of how the money is being spent? And will it be used as advertised? Will The City do the same? How is it that the pool has become a priority over other much needed infrastructure needs? Has the City got the Waste Water Treatment Plant debt under control? Will there be any more of the pointless Japan/ Sister City expenditures now that the City has a general fund slush fund? Now that the sales tax measure has nearly expired for the Fairgrounds, will we get an accurate accounting for how that money was expended? With the passage of Measure C has the harbor generated a serious plan for retiring its debt to the USDA? Has the harbor district become involved with solar/wind power to the detriment of its actual function of a working harbor? Has the harbor considered the possibility that solar and wind power is a bad fit for a coastal harbor? Has the Del Norte Solid Waste Authority out lived its usefulness? Should it be folded into County government to save money with reduced administrative costs? Has the school district been transparent about the expenditure of the $25,000,000 bond issue before asking taxpayer to foot the bill for another bond issue? While these are just a few investigations that should result from various agencies, I am sure there are many more to be had. We have as responsible taxpayers let our local governing agencies and bureaucracies grow at an alarming pace over the last forty plus years to the point where many employees earn six figure salaries and we do not know what they even do to earn that kind of money. Perhaps Eye on Del Norte's call for transparency is something to be serious about. Much of what is being done to us locally begs the question, "Is it to the benefit of the taxpayer and local citizens, or is it something else?"