Mandates without money: How Olympia is setting counties up to fail

While serving as Lincoln County commissioner, I’ve seen my share of bad laws and unfunded mandates from Olympia. But I have never witnessed the kind of squeeze counties are under today. Between court orders, runaway costs, and the Legislature’s latest strings-attached “help,” rural communities like ours are being set up to fail.

The Supreme Court’s Order

In June, the Washington State Supreme Court...