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League puts county revamp on hold By DANI DODGE Mail Tribune Voters in November's general election are not likely to have a say on whether to expand the Jackson County board of commissioners, making some commissioners part time. League of Women Voters members are postponing their initiative attempt. "We feel it would be a real rushed job and that we shouldn't try to hurry it up but do it thoroughly," said Anna Hirst, the chairwoman of the League's county charter action committee. "The single-subject requirement is really what is holding us up." After four years of study, the Ashland and Rogue Valley leagues took positions in December 2000 that the board of commissioners should be made up of five or more members and elected on a nonpartisan basis. The League was discussing having four of the commissioners serve part time and elected by district, while a fifth commissioner would be full time and elected at large. The intent of the proposal was to provide better representation for county residents. But the League was "stumped" by a requirement that each ballot initiative address only a single subject. Members have been talking with an attorney about how to meet the single-subject requirement with their proposal, or alternately how to file a revision of the charter and get around that requirement. But so far they haven't received an opinion from their attorney, Hirst said. And it's unlikely they will have enough time to gather signatures for a petition after they do. They would need 3,415 verified signatures by Aug. 7 to get the initiative on the ballot. And she noted that some decisions still need to be made about the exact structure of the proposed board. "We don't want to do something that will reflect badly on the League of Women Voters, so we would rather do it right," Hirst said. "We are being very cautious." Another way to get the issue on the November ballot would be for sitting commissioners to put it on the ballot, but Hirst said that's "highly unlikely" and League members didn't even think it was worth trying. "We know they are not in favor of what we are trying to do," Hirst said. "That's evident from articles in the paper and even when a small group of us met with the commissioners." Commissioners Jack Walker and Ric Holt said on Tuesday, though, that they will consider increasing the number of commissioners when it's necessary. But they remain adamantly opposed to making commissioners part time. "It wasn't that I was totally opposed to extending the board, but the problem was the manner in which it was approached," said Holt. "The county commissioners didn't have input into the process, and we didn't have a chance to lay down what we thought would work." Walker said he doesn't believe it's necessary now, but as the population grows it might be wise to add two commissioners. "You have to give them credit for putting so much time into doing something they believe is right," he said of the League's efforts. "Even though I didn't agree with it." The next time the League can get an initiative on the ballot is in the May 2004 primary election, Jean Milgram, the former committee co-chairwoman stated in a Rogue Valley League newsletter. Hirst said, though, that the League isn't committing to putting an initiative on that ballot. "We don't want to feel pressured by time to make a decision," Hirst said. "We are taking this to respective memberships at annual meetings to see how the membership is feeling." But she said, the League isn't planning on dropping the issue either. "We will continue and sometime it will be voted on," she said. "I've never felt that two people (the commission majority) were enough to make a decision for the whole county." Milgram noted that League members can lobby commissioners to submit changes to the voters and commissioners may be open to it as their workload increases. "The road to changing the structure of the Jackson County board of commissioners turned out to be a much longer and more difficult one than I originally envisioned," Milgram stated. "But it has been very educational; an important issue has been raised and eventually I am sure we will get some results." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.