It wasn’t the first time her husband raised a fist to her face. But she had no idea it would be the last. Despite a frantic call to 911, she died at the hands of her spouse. Local deputies were overworked and in the middle of a major car accident. They couldn’t respond to the call.

Does this sound dramatic and unrealistic? It’s not. It could happen. Domestic violence, drug dealing, drunk driving – it’s all part of our idyllic island communities. We depend on our county’s law, courts and justice departments to monitor and combat these illegal activities.

Cutting funds to the Sheriff’s department and the Prosecutor’s office would be a major blow to our quality of life. This is why we support proposition one, the public safety sales tax on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.

The tax is 3/10th of one percent. This means it’s 30 cents on every $100 dollars for visitors and locals alike. Groceries, prescription drugs and some other items are exempt. It will produce approximately $600,000 for the county and $400,000 for the Town of Friday Harbor. The county’s current budget projections show that next year revenues will fall $800,000 short of the amount needed to maintain the current level of county services and staffing. The shortfall totals approximately $3.6 million for budgets in 2013 through the end of 2015.

Worst case scenarios: if the tax fails, the county will have to eliminate 14 county positions. If it passes, seven positions will be cut.

According to a press release from the county, Sheriff Rob Nou noted that his force is already stretched thin providing 24-hour a day coverage on multiple islands and, unlike mainland agencies, they have no backup.

Having voiced support of this measure, we also feel compelled to say that the county might want to look at its wage structure before asking voters for any more money.

The pay of many county employees exceeds the average annual local wage, $31,190 (2010), with the pay of some, management in particular, twice that or more. Even though most wages were frozen in 2011, and employees took unpaid furloughs in 2010, and some now pay more for medical insurance, there are cost-of-living increases in store for union and non-union workers, 3 percent, this year and the next. In addition, some employees – including management – are slated to receive a raise in pay under a new job “re-classification” study, which is scheduled to start in August.

We feel paying 3/10th of one percent is a small public cost to help sustain our law and justice programs. But we hope the county continues to look at its budget with a magnifying glass before any more drastic funding slices are threatened to take effect. When you call 911, you count on a response.