After reading a newspaper article on public salaries and benefits of local government, I’m convinced that all government (especially Kitsap County government) needs to reduce the salaries and benefits for all (even top level) employees.

Local government is costing taxpayers too much in property taxes and sales taxes.

The bulk of taxpayer money is Kitsap County local government is consumed by the salaries and benefits of county employees. In fact, 69 percent of Kitsap County’s general fund is consumed by the salaries and benefits of county employees. The latest figure also shows that 627 county employees make more than $80,000 a year.

This all needs to change and it need to change now.

Please call your county commissioner at 360-337-7146 and tell them you want to reduce the size of county government, thus reducing the amount of salaries and benefits of county employees.

Total cost of wages and benefits, shouldn’t exceed 40 percent of county general fund expenditures. The private sector usually cannot afford to payout more than 25 percent of their profits for employee salaries and benefits.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford Kitsap County government.

Rob Daugherty | Olalla