Republican lawmakers from Washington’s 18th and 20th Legislative Districts met with constituents at Battle Ground City Hall on Saturday, May 3, to reflect on the 2025 legislative session and take public questions.
State Reps. Stephanie McClintock and John Ley (18th District) were joined by Reps. Ed Orcutt and Peter Abbarno (20th District) to discuss key developments in state policy, including budgets, taxes, infrastructure and public safety.
Concerns over rising costs, particularly insurance premiums and local taxes, began the discussion as several residents voiced frustration over numerous financial pressures.
One constituent said their auto insurance nearly doubled in two years. McClintock, who is on the Consumer Protection and Business Committee, pointed to what she called the growing impact of property crime on insurance rates.
“What I'm hearing in committee is that what’s driving the cost of insurance — both auto and home — is theft and crime,” McClintock said. “We have the lowest number of law enforcement officers per capita here in Clark County. That’s why one of our goals is to increase the number of officers. When cars are being stolen and replaced constantly, those costs get passed on to all of us.”
Orcutt said Washington ranks last in the nation, 51st when counting D.C., for the number of police officers per capita.
"We need 1,370 more officers just to tie for last place,” he said. “That’s how bad the shortage is.”
He expressed that the state may be heading in the right direction, noting that Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bipartisan bill providing $100 million for local law enforcement.
In addition to funding, Orcutt emphasized ongoing structural efforts such as boosting officer training, increasing Washington State Patrol salaries by 33% over three years, and expanding local police academies to reduce barriers to entry. Legislators and city officials have also stressed the need for a law enforcement academy in Ridgefield.
“Getting more officers out there will help us get control of the crime problem (and) if not lower insurance rates, at least stop the increase in them,” Orcutt said.
Taxation was another complaint from local constituents, one concerned by the amount of local levies.
In February, the Battle Ground School District asked voters to approve a $166.3 million replacement levy to continue funding staff and programs not covered by state dollars. Voters rejected the measure, and the district made a second attempt during the April 22 special election. As of Thursday, April 24, preliminary results showed 11,547 votes in favor (49%) and 12,020 against (51%).
The levy’s failure will trigger $20 million in cuts and the elimination of roughly 200 staff positions — 170 full time and 30 part time — along with a wide range of academic and extracurricular programs many families say are essential.
McClintock, a former Battle Ground School District board member, shared her concerns with what she called a lack in funding education locally. She shared her concerns that, today, too many local schools rely on levies to fund programs and staff.
Abbarno attributed the levy’s failure to the effect of rising taxes on rural residents.
“You're seeing school levies and school bonds failing, not because people are opposed to public schools generally, some people are, but really it's because it's death by a thousand cuts and the taxes are so high in the other stuff … the priorities are falling behind, like basic education,” he said.
Ley argued that reinvesting in timber harvesting could both create jobs and provide a sustainable source of school funding, reducing districts’ dependence on levies. He brought up Skamania County being reduced from a half dozen to now one lumber mill operating at 60% capacity at what it used to, which has lowered the amount of money local school districts receive.
“Why are they down to one? Because the government, painting with a broad brush, will not let them harvest trees,” he said. “Bottom line is, government restrictions are, in this instance, harming the ability of so many of our rural districts to harvest the trees. ”
The discussion turned tense when the topic shifted to the I-5 Bridge Replacement Program, an estimated $5 to $7.5 billion infrastructure project to replace the aging bridge between downtown Vancouver and Portland.
Ley criticized what he called a lack of updated cost estimates and transparency from program officials.
“They told us the bridge would cost $3.2 to $4.8 billion. Then it jumped to $5 to $7.5 billion. And now, two and a half years later, they still haven’t updated the estimate. That’s a problem. We should know the real cost, and they should be telling the legislature in both states an honest answer,” Ley said.
The Legislature approved $2.5 billion in bonds for the project, nearly doubling the original projection. That money would be repaid with toll revenue, and Ley said that could mean tolls rising to $10 each direction.
“People respond to financial pain,” he said. “They will do whatever they can to avoid it. We already know (Interstate) 205 is congested and bad. It's going to make it a nightmare.”
Ley also questioned the long-term viability of federal funding, warning that a change in administration could lead to funding cuts. The federal government is currently slated to provide $1.5 billion for the project, which Ley warned could be pulled.
Orcutt affirmed the need for a replacement bridge, calling the current structure “functionally obsolete.” He cited poor alignment, narrow lanes and lack of shoulders as major safety concerns. Still, Orcutt sided with constituents calling for a third bridge, saying it would help alleviate traffic and reduce pressure during construction.
Orcutt said he’s long advocated for planning a third or even fourth bridge and wants it prioritized now, not after the replacement bridge is complete.
