When is a commissioner accountable to their constituency? In Kitsap County I have to wonder. The recent vote by Patty Lent to change the impact fee ordinance and to add a schedule of stupendous increases is a case in point.

During the election Ms. Lent repeatedly promised not to increase the impact fees. She said it to several organizations, to the voters at numerous public forums, and to individuals who asked her about her position on this critical issue.

This was an upcoming vote that was held over after Botkin was defeated so that the vote would be taken once the new commissioner was in office. Many people in Kitsap County believe that this is an unfair tax, which will negatively affect the average homebuyer and will further inhibit any economic development here.

Recently, after more than two years of preparation by a consultant hired to substantiate the” legally defensible limit” to which the fees could be raised, the new ordinances were introduced in their final form prior to being voted upon. Commissioner Lent heard from many people adamantly against this significant increase in tax during the weeks before the vote. The KAPO board invited her to a special meeting a week before the public hearing where she listened to our concerns. She promised to delay the vote in order to reconsider the ideas proposed to her.

One public meeting was held at 7pm on Tuesday, June 17th. Over 50 people attended (out of 240,000 county citizens). Many of the key participants in the county (planners, businessmen, the Realtors, the Homebuilders, Kitsap Concerned Citizens, KAPO and some private citizens) spoke against changing the ordinances. The school district employees spoke for the idea of getting more money for schools – no matter what the cost.

Then, to our dismay, Commissioner Lent actually made the motion to vote in the ordinances and Commissioner Endresen agreed — leaving Jan Angel and the audience stunned.

Not only do we have massive increases in impact fees but now we also have a commissioner who has decided that her personal view is more important than those she represents.

Maybe it is something in the office, or the water in Central Kitsap. The commissioner representing that district feels that they have the mandate of the people and in their sheer arrogance they just vote for whatever they want. Sounds like the old days.

The most interesting comment, after the fact, was reported by The Sun. Commissioner Endresen stated that if there had not been two votes in favor of the new impact ordinances before the public hearing, they would not have held the meeting.

I ask, why bother holding a public hearing if the decision has been made and no amount of testimony from the public will matter to the commissioners?

My question to Commissioner Lent is: What DO you stand for? Please, let us in on your little secret so we can understand just what exactly we elected.

Jan Oleksiak
Gilberton