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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 Central Point police seek attempted murder suspect ... UPDATED: Standoff ends with two arrests in Wilson Elementary neighborhood ... Hermiston homeless face winter with fewer sleeping options ... Central Point police seek attempted murder suspect ... UPDATED: Standoff ends with two arrests in Wilson Elementary neighborhood ... Hermiston homeless face winter with fewer sleeping options ... OUR VIEW Our View: Four-part Josephine safety levy is a bad idea MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 13, 2016 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 13, 2016 @ 12:01 am » 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" --> Josephine County commissioners, having tried repeatedly to convince voters to pay for their own public safety services, are trying a new approach. Not only is it unlikely to solve the problem, it could make the situation worse. Josephine County has the lowest property tax base of any county in the state at 58 cents per $1,000 assessed value. In contrast, Jackson County's base is just over $2. Federal timber receipts supported county services for decades until logging cutbacks on the former Oregon & California Railroad lands. Congress provided direct subsidy payments for a number of years, but those are going away, too, leaving Josephine County badly underfunded, and voters there have steadfastly refused to increase their support for county services. Among the most critical services that have been shortchanged are sheriff's patrols, the jail, the juvenile corrections facility and the district attorney's office. Josephine County Commissioner Cherryl Walker has a new approach she thinks might appeal to voters: Present four measures on the May ballot asking for separate levies for sheriff patrols, jail operations, prosecuting attorneys and the juvenile justice center. Walker said voters complained during previous public safety levy campaigns that they wanted to know exactly where the money would go. We think it's more than unlikely that a majority of Josephine County voters will say yes four times instead of once. Even if a voters feel compelled to vote yes on one or two of the four, there's no guarantee they'll agree on which one or two to support, and wind up splitting the vote. And what if one does pass? Voters could approve the levy for patrols, but not for the jail, providing sheriff's deputies to arrest people but no place to lock them up. Or they could approve jail funds but not patrols, leaving a functioning jail but no deputies to fill it. We recognize the commissioners are just about out of options, but this seems to leave the allocation of public safety resources up to the whims of a population that doesn't seem to see public safety as essential — or at least not essential enough to pay for. Part of the commissioners' job is to allocate scarce resources to keep all facets of the public safety system functioning at least at a minimal level. Asking voters to prioritize services is abdicating that responsibility. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 13, 2016 @ 12:01 am » 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