Response to questions

To The Eagle,

I am happy to respond to Mr. Keith Johnson’s letter about Town of Cathlamet finances published in the Feb. 27 edition of The Eagle.

Regarding Town finances, I am proud to report that the Town of Cathlamet has a balanced budget and more than $3 million in the bank. Any other allegation about Town finances is likely a result of misunderstanding of information presented at Town Council meetings and/or misrepresentation on social media.

However, the Town’s current financial health cannot continue and will be severely challenged if (due to utility consolidation) we lose the economies of scale that help support (but do not subsidize) ongoing Town services such as the Library, the Pool and Parks. A transfer of these economies of scale to the Public Utility District will severely harm essential Town services while doing little to benefit Town residents who, to avoid service cutbacks, will be forced to pay more in taxes for the level of services they presently receive.

That is not to say the Town does not face fiscal challenges in 2026 even without utility consolidation. We must and will tighten our belts, reduce costs, and carefully re-examine all expenditures in order to balance our budget next year, but I am confident the Mayor and Town Council will accomplish this as we always have.

David Olson

Mayor of Cathlamet