While we have properly taken the Legislature to task for diverting reserve funds from Clark County mental-health services (see Thursday’s “In Our View” in The Columbian), the supplemental budget passed this week deserves additional examination.
Lawmakers managed to provide a $191 million budget to address shortcomings in last year’s $38.4 billion biennial budget. And they managed to do so without passing any general tax increases — which probably was predictable during an election year. And yet some commentary is necessary as the budget details get vetted.
Of note was an agreement to use $190 million from the state’s emergency fund to pay for damage from last year’s wildfires across the state. While this might serve as an effective stopgap for this year, it should not be viewed as a long-term plan to pay for wildfires. Evidence suggests that a changing climate — along with inadequate forest management — will lead to expanding wildfire damage in the future, and the Legislature should develop a steady budgeting stream to deal with them and their damage.
As Peter Goldmark, head of the state Department of Natural Resources wrote for The Seattle Times in January: “We need to prepare for the danger wildfire presents to our people, communities, forests and grasslands. Some legislators in both parties and Gov. Jay Inslee have declared willingness to increase funding. Yet, as the January rains fall in Olympia, the urgency fades for other lawmakers. … We need more firefighters. We need them positioned in the most fire-prone areas of the state. We need to provide grants to local fire districts to boost their capabilities. We need to train volunteers, National Guard troops, and local firefighters alongside professional Department of Natural Resource firefighters. We need experienced fire commanders to lead them, using modern radio equipment. We need to thin and maintain our forests, and help homeowners and communities clear vegetation to protect themselves from fire.”
