Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Jackson County elected officials to get pay raises ... Making ancient stories new again ... Former firefighter accused of theft from District 3 faces charges in Virginia ... Jackson County elected officials to get pay raises ... Making ancient stories new again ... Former firefighter accused of theft from District 3 faces charges in Virginia ... HISTORIC PRESERVATION County wants study before putting SOHS district to a vote Sale of U.S. Hotel building would provide short-term relief By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Apr. 14, 2016 @ 1:13 pm Updated at 2:11 PM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Apr. 14, 2016 @ 1:13 pm Updated at 2:11 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> A majority of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners wants a marketing analysis done to see whether voters would agree to raise property taxes to fund a Southern Oregon Historical Society special district. During a work session Thursday, Commissioners Rick Dyer and Doug Breidenthal authorized negotiations with SOHS over the study. "Is it something people want? Is it something people are willing to pay for?" Dyer asked. Such studies cost about $15,000 and were accurate in predicting the narrow passage of a library district and the strong passage of an extension service district in 2014, county officials said. SOHS wants commissioners to place a measure on the November ballot that would cost 5 cents per $1,000 in assessed value (about $10 a year on a $200,000 home), but Dyer and Breidenthal weren't ready to commit to that step without more assurance such a measure would pass. Putting the issue before voters would cost $20,000 to $30,000 and require a significant amount of county staff time, county officials said. Commissioner Colleen Roberts opposes having the county place the measure on the ballot, arguing history supporters should gather signatures and put the issue before voters themselves. County Administrator Danny Jordan said if SOHS did have a funding measure on the ballot, it could face stiff competition from Rogue Valley Transportation District and Rogue Community College funding measures. "It would be very difficult and highly unlikely for it to pass," Jordan said. He estimated a history funding district would generate about $800,000 to $850,000 annually. A bare-bones budget for SOHS would be $600,000, with an additional $200,000 going to smaller historical groups in the county, according to SOHS board of trustees members. A more ambitious budget of $1.2 million annually would help SOHS open a museum to display artifacts in storage, perform deferred maintenance on historic buildings and address other needs, board of trustees members said. Meanwhile, SOHS also has asked the county for stopgap funding of $400,000. Without a cash infusion, SOHS board members said historical society operations are likely to shut down and five of its six remaining staff members would be laid off. Commissioners were reluctant to hand over $400,000. Instead, they authorized Jordan to negotiate with the SOHS board to expedite the sale of the historic U.S. Hotel in Jacksonville. The county already owns the hotel, but has an agreement with SOHS to give it a share of proceeds. The hotel has been on the market with a price tag of over $1 million, but Jordan and SOHS board member Scott Henselman said the hotel is over-priced. Although county officials and past SOHS representatives have sometimes had a contentious history — with a low point coming when SOHS sued the county in 2001 — current SOHS board members and county officials said the relationship has improved. "I think we're moving in the right direction," Phil Long, president of the SOHS board of trustees, said of plans for SOHS to negotiate with the county about the sale of the hotel and a marketing analysis for a ballot measure. "This is workable," Henselman agreed. In the 1990s, SOHS had its own taxing district and an annual budget of about $2 million. Oregon voters passed property tax restrictions that decade that eliminated many independent districts. Jackson County continued to provide a reduced amount of funding, but faced its own financial struggles because of logging cutbacks and a drop in shared revenue off timber sales on federal land. Most recently, the county gave SOHS $300,000 in the fiscal year that ended in summer 2015, according to county data. Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous . By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Apr. 14, 2016 @ 1:13 pm Updated at 2:11 PM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501