County budget: fewer deputies, no libraries
From our weekly issue dated July 2, 2008
A large crowd and two TV news reporters were among those attending the June 25 meeting. (Photo by I.V. News)
Numerous unsuccessful pleas for money to reopen county libraries marked a 50-minute public hearing on the Josephine County 2008-09 fiscal year budget.
The hearing was part of a nearly three-hour meeting of the county board of commissioners Wednesday morning, June 25 in Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass. Approximately 60 persons attended most of the meeting.
Contained in the $85.4 million budget is $11.2 million in the general fund, and $13.9 million in the public safety fund. The figure represents a decrease of some $4 million from the so-called discretionary funds that fall within control of the county commissioners.
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The public safety fund comprises $8.9 million for the sheriff’s office, $2.2 million for Juvenile Justice, and $1.7 million for the district attorney’s office.
The property tax rate will remain at 58.67-cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. Additionally there is a 22-cents per $1,000 cost for a $1.3 million bond levy that was used for a new county jail.
The board expressed its regret at being unable to afford funding for libraries, but noted that public safety is the number-one issue. Because of reducing funding, the sheriff’s office as of Tuesday, July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, will have 16 patrol deputies instead of 22.
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Hopes that the U.S. House would approve continued funding under the Secure Rural Schools & Community Self-Determination Act were dashed last week. As such, the county will continue to face a reduced budget.
However, the county has $2.3 million in a contingency fund for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, said Rosemary Padgett, chief financial officer. She added that approximately $38 million of the budget involves “pass-through” and grant monies dedicated for specific programs. The other $47 million funds operations, personnel and services.
During the public hearing on the budget, 21 people spoke, and most urged funding for libraries.
“It’s a tough decision,” said Commissioner Jim Raffenburg, “but you can’t call the library for help in the middle of the night.”
Commissioner Dwight Ellis said that he is committed to help Josephine Community Libraries Inc. (JCLI) get libraries open. He said that some aid could be coming “around the fall time frame.”
Ellis added, “Public safety is the number-one priority; the sheriff comes out on top. It’s a tough decision, but a decision without argument.”
Commission Chairman Dave Toler stated that he was the “lone dissenter” during meetings of the Budget Committee regarding funding. “The level of expenditures is not sustainable,” he said. “We’re spending our savings in one year.”
However, he noted that “decisions are not easy, and obviously public safety is number one, so I will support this budget this time around and work with JCLI.”
Regarding libraries, several of those pleading for funding are members of JCLI. A different view was given by Grants Pass resident Rycke Brown. She said that she is for libraries, but that there is “no need for commissioners to give money.
“If we want libraries, we’ll donate,” she said, “as libraries are essentially an educational charity.” Another speaker stated that libraries should be privately funded.
Grants Pass resident Michael Kline said that the money problems could be solved, but “we’ve gone green and gone crazy.” He stated generally that because of reductions on timber harvesting, and due to restrictions on aggregate mining, “We’ve negated what has always worked.”
GP resident Lyle Woodcock said, “We can’t have our cake and eat it too. We need to get back to timber harvesting, especially old-growth, which is going to die and rot. We need to replant for future generations.”
A Merlin resident said that he and his wife would not have moved to Josephine County if they had known that libraries would close. He said that because of that situation, the county is losing money because of people not moving into the county and therefore not supporting the economy.
He also said that businesses will not move to the county because of the closure of public libraries.
GP resident Dave Mannix accused the commissioners of violating the county charter by not funding libraries. They are “an absolutely essential public service,” he said.
JCLI Chairman Bill Peterson told the commissioners that it’s “important to live up to your commitments.” He referred to the board’s statement earlier this year that it could provide $300,000 in matching funds. He added that JCLI is approaching $200,000 in its fund-raising.
He and others also told the commissioners that the county should at least pay for utilities at the library branches. However, Toler noted that the costs are not nominal.
“There is lots involved,” he said, “but we will do what we can to make that happen.”
