Road sign vandalism — including bullet holes — costs taxpayers thousands of dollars

PORT ANGELES — Clallam County taxpayers shelled out $42,872 last year to replace stolen or vandalized road signs, including those used for target practice, county road officials say.

County Engineer Ross Tyler, who is tracking the costs, briefed two of the three county commissioners in a work session Monday.

Commissioner Steve Tharinger was absent from the county courthouse meeting Monday, instead being sworn in as a 24th District state representative in Olympia.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

County Administrator Jim Jones said the cost of replacing the signs is “just an unacceptable amount of money,” especially in times of tight budgets.

“Collectively, if people realized that this is costing the taxpayers this kind of money for this seemingly thoughtless act, perhaps it would become something not so much to be proud of and be bragging about,” Jones said.

“But it would become something that would be looked down upon.”

County officials said road signs are being used for gun and rifle target practice and as decorations in homes.

Commissioner Mike Doherty said the cost is “probably the equivalent of more than a couple jobs” because of the materials and staff time.

Tyler said the road department will work with Code Compliance Officer Rich Sill and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office to combat the issue.

“This is just the road department cost. I have not captured what it costs the sheriff’s department to respond to this,” Tyler said.

Since 2002, the road department has spent close to $400,000 to replace stolen or vandalized signs, Tyler said.

That’s an average of nearly $50,000 per year.

“It’s fairly significant,” Tyler said.

Much of the vandalism comes in the form of bullet holes.

“Some of the shooting stuff is more on the West End, off in some of the less used roads,” Tyler said after the work session.

“As you get farther to the east, unless you go up some of the mountain roads, it’s more theft.”

Tyler said the road signs along Mary Clark Road in Beaver are particularly susceptible to vandalism.

Street signs for Kitchen-Dick and Hooker roads in the Carlsborg area are popular with thieves, he added.

“If it was $4,000 [per year], nobody would pay any mind to it,” Tyler said.

“But $43,000? That’s a project. That’s enough money to do something useful.”

Tyler said the county could sand “quite a few miles” of icy roads, for example, with the $43,000.

The cost included $17,484 for 881 hours of regular labor and two hours of overtime.

________

Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Fred Lundahl, a pilot from Whidbey Island, prepares to fuel up his 1968 Cessna Aerobat, named Scarlett, at the Jefferson County International Airport in Port Townsend. Lundahl was picking up his plane Wednesday from Tailspin Tommy’s Aircraft Repair facility located at the airport. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Fueling up

Fred Lundahl, a pilot from Whidbey Island, prepares to fuel up his… Continue reading

After hours pet clinic set for Peninsula

Opening June 6 at Sequim location

Five to be honored with community service awards

Ceremony set Thursday at Port Angeles Senior Community Center

PASD planning for expanding needs

Special education, homelessness, new facilities under discussion

Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Deputy Ed Bauck
Clallam Sheriff appoints animal control deputy

Position was vacant since end of 2024

Highway 104 road work to start week

Maintenance crews will repair road surfaces on state Highway… Continue reading

Supreme Court says no to recall reconsider

Sequim man found liable for legal fees

Chimacum Ridge seeks board members

Members to write policy, balance values, chair says

Fire destroys shop east of Port Angeles

A fire on Hickory Street east of Port Angeles… Continue reading

Jefferson Transit Authority to expand Kingston Express route

Jefferson Transit Authority has announced expanded service on its… Continue reading

From left to right, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding students Krystol Pasecznyk and Scott McNair sand a Prothero Sloop with Sean Koomen, the school’s boat building program director. Koomen said the sanding would take one person a few days. He said the plan is to have 12 people sand it together, which will take a few hours. (Elijah Sussman/Peninsula Daily News)
Wooden boatbuilding school building ‘Twin Boats’

Students using traditional and cold-moulding construction techniques