In a town where Mayor Harding says the growth in recent years is do to the impact of our military service families moving here, Yelm must prepare for the challenges of military spending cutbacks, which will trickle down to reduced local spending and tax revenues.

Brad Shannon filed this report in The Olympian:
Sequestration could cost Washington state tens of millions

“Defense cuts could translate into furloughs for up to 16,200 civilian workers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and another 16,000 Navy employees in the Northwest, most of whom are in Washington state. All told, Financial Management estimates potential job losses across the economy are estimated at 43,151 in 2013 and 54,359 in the following year if Congress fails to act to blunt the effect or reverse the cuts.

House Republicans on Wednesday [March 6]approved a plan that would give the Defense Department flexibility to determine where cuts should apply, and Senate Democrats are pushing to give additional Cabinet agencies similar authority.

But without certain relief in sight, agencies are gearing up to absorb the reductions.”
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