With Clallam County’s board of commissioners sending a letter to federal legislators about impacts from federal cuts and proposed changes, Sequim’s city council looks to send a letter of their own.

Councilors unanimously agreed on April 14 to have staff research potential federal impacts made or proposed on Sequim and draft a letter for approval at the council’s next meeting on April 28. The letter would then be sent to legislators for their consideration.

Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias spoke at the council meeting at the request of councilor Dan Butler.

“Our federal representatives are very interested to hear from you,” Ozias said.

He told councilors that about two months ago Washington’s federal representatives emphasized how they want to hear from “folks on the ground to understand the impacts and changes” from the federal administration.

Ozias said in his years speaking with federal representatives, “I’ve never heard them ask like they’ve been asking in the last couple of months.”

Commissioners sent a letter dated April 1 to Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Edmonds, and Patty Murray, D-Seattle, and Rep. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, expressing concerns about job reductions with the National Parks, Forest Service and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and uncertainty about funding to rebuild Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge.

They’re also concerned about negative impacts on tourism from Canada with economic and territorial threats being levied with the country, and any “cuts to Medicaid will be devastating to this community, as more than 20% of our adult population and more than 37% of our children rely on Medicaid.”

Councilor Vicki Lowe said with Sequim’s large retired population, they should think about those types of impacts on residents, too.

Ozias said commissioners wanted to look broadly at the community and the impact, and that they will likely want to write a follow-up letter.

Councilor Nicole Hartman asked if other agencies could cosign a letter with the county commissioners, which Ozias was in favor of. He said Butler was the first representative from a local municipality to reach out to him about this specifically, but he’s willing to reach out to others to see if there’s interest in drafting a broader letter.

“I think that would be wonderful,” he said.

Ozias said county staff recently learned one of Clallam’s grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program grant, was canceled.

The Peninsula Daily News reported that Clallam County’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Lane said in March that 17.5% of the county’s 2025 budget is funded through federal grants, and with cuts either rescinded or in court, county staff continue to monitor federal actions that could impact local funding.

On April 14, City of Sequim staff said 74% of the city’s 2025 transportation projects are grant funded, with many of those from federal sources.

In the last five years, Sequim has received $1.2 million from federal sources for road overlay projects, and they’ve heard from other cities that grants worth more than $1 million have been frozen.

Potentially impacted could be designing costs for Johnson Creek trestle repair/replacement, Keeler Road multi-use trail for the Olympic Discovery Trail, and Olympic Discovery Trail street rehabilitation for East Fir Street from North Sequim Avenue to North Blake Avenue.

They’re also awaiting word on federal funding for improving safety grants for various Sequim streets, too.

Staff said they continue to look for additional funding for transportation projects.

Sequim Public Works Director Paul Bucich said both transportation and parks in the city do not have a consistent funding source.

He said Sequim’s Transportation Benefit District, a two-tenths of 1 percent sales tax, has about 85% go to operations and maintenance and a small portion to the city’s capital improvement program.

Bucich said $1-2 million grants are important to Sequim and projects moving forward.

Amy Dougherty, Sequim’s management analyst, said Sequim’s Capital Improvement Program has about $60 million in unfunded projects identified, but most don’t need to happen in the next six years and are spread out over many years.