Pierce County Charter Amendment 56

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Statement For · Yes on New Charter Section 6.35 Four Year Budget Outlook

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Committee: Wolf Opitz, Doug Richardson

Strengthen Financial Planning: Please vote “yes” to strengthen Pierce County’s budgeting and financial management by adopting a four-year financial outlook to make Pierce County leadership show if today’s commitments are affordable in the future. Plan Ahead: A four-year financial outlook will help the county better plan for future economic downturns, cost increases, labor obligations, capital projects, and demands for services. Planning ahead will reduce the need for sudden budget cuts, emergency fixes, or rushed tax and fee increases. Protect the County’s Credit Rating: Putting this requirement in the Charter will bolster Pierce County’s exceptional credit rating and add to its established reputation for prudent financial management. Improve Transparency and Fiscal Stability: Requiring a four-year financial outlook will help the County Executive and Council anticipate longer-term financial risks. It will improve transparency for the public, protect county services, and will create greater fiscal stability for taxpayers. Please vote “yes”!

Rebuttal of argument against

A “Yes” vote builds on Pierce County’s strong record of fiscal responsibility by making long-term financial planning a permanent requirement in the Charter. This is not an unfunded mandate. No new staff or funding is required. The Finance Director already prepares many elements of a four-year outlook. This amendment ensures future county leaders continue transparent, responsible budgeting that helps taxpayers understand whether today’s decisions will be affordable tomorrow. Vote “Yes” on Amendment 56.

Statement Against · Pierce County for Local Budget Control

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Committee: Cameron Severns

Charter Amendment 56 sounds like fiscal discipline, but it is an incomplete, unfunded mandate. It was designed to pair with companion amendment O-1, which was not sent to voters. O-1 would have created the position to manage Amendment 56. Amendment 56 remains anyway, assigning a duty to a position that does not exist. Four-year outlook demands new resources A real four-year outlook is not a spreadsheet update. It requires new modeling across every department and ongoing upkeep every cycle, work with no staff assigned and no funding attached, paid for by the same general fund this amendment claims to protect. Duplicative and unnecessary Pierce County already produces a biennial budget, a six-year forecast, and an annual independent audit. A mandatory four-year certification on top of that pulls staff time from budget work voters depend on. Vote No on Charter amendment 56

Rebuttal of argument for

This is not about credit ratings or transparency. 56 lets government hide bloated spending in plain sight. Former Executive Bruce Dammeier, June 2023: “Moody’s just upgraded us to AAA, the highest rating they give, and... means Pierce County will receive a more favorable interest rate when we sell bonds to purchase the building at 1501 Market.” That bond funded a $50 million legacy project, featuring new offices for the Executive and Council. Vote no.