Funding alternatives studied by county commission
From our weekly issue dated November 28, 2007
Josephine County has received its last “Safety Net” check from the federal government, so now it must be asked what is in the works to provide the finances necessary for the county to continue to provide services to its residents.
There is some hope that additional Safety Net legislation will be enacted. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) is promoting one such bill that has cleared committee, but passage is not certain.
The bill would start by providing 90 percent of the federal funds previously received by the county and step down the amount to a total phase-out in four years. This would therefore be only a temporary solution, and until the fate of the bill is determined, it is difficult to take action, indicated Commissioner Dave Toler, vice chairman of the county board.
The oft-discussed WOPR (BLM’s Western Oregon Plan Revisions) timber harvesting alternatives document that ties county income to timber production would not come into effect for four years even if passed today. So no WOPR funds will be available soon.
It also should be noted that by tying county income to timber sales, county income would fluctuate with the timber market. And given the depressed housing market this income might not be reliable.
According to Toler a permanent fix will only come by way of the ballot box. There are three options being explored by the county commission.
The first option is a straight-ahead two-year tax levy that would seek approximately 50 percent of the tax levy defeated by voters earlier this year. The major drawback to this plan is that it would require the county to spend nearly all its saved capital to maintain existing services, and it would still only be a temporary solution.
The second option is the creation of specialized tax districts, a plan strongly supported by county Sheriff Gil Gilbertson. Two districts would be established to fund the criminal justice system in the county.
The first district would contain all county residents and would be set up to fund the jail facility, juvenile justice, and the district attorney’s office. These entities serve the entire county. The second district would be exclusive to rural areas and would be used primarily to fund deputy patrols in outlying areas.
City of Cave Junction residents would have the opportunity to opt-in to this plan and be included in patrols, or could decide to not use the county sheriff to patrol the city. This type of plan was successfully adopted by Deschutes County.
The third plan is a clear-cut “consumption” or sales tax that would be dedicated to funding the criminal justice system.
Toler emphasized several times during discussion with Illinois Valley News that any action taken will be determined by the voters.
“Sometimes it seems the voters view us (the county commissioners) as a taxing agency and that is simply not the case,” he said. He added that the tax base is set by state law and that the county commission is required to work within the statutes.
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