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Click Here 44 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, February 23, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 12, 2004 Shady Cove may end police force Money crunch has city considering closing the department and asking the county for coverage By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — A budget crunch has the City Council considering elimination of its police department. "I want to have cops out there in the street to keep away the bad guys," said Mayor Tom Anderson. "If we can’t supply police coverage as a city, then you have to question why we even exist." An expiring tax levy, lost federal grant programs, low tax revenues and several voter-failed police funding attempts have Shady Cove’s police force — a full-time police chief, two full- time officers and a part-time clerk — on the fiscal chopping block. "We need to have some kind of plan," said Anderson. "I’m looking for a presence as much as anything. That alone decreases crime." One plan Anderson said he and the council are considering is closing Shady Cove’s police department and contracting with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Advertisement "Sheriff (Mike) Winters said he thought he could offer us 24/7 coverage at a rate we could afford," said Anderson. "I told him that’s great. But I also asked him for a menu from the least amount of coverage to full coverage." Winters said he would soon offer the town a "buffet menu of fees for service" by his department. "In my opinion, it all comes down to what the citizens can afford," said Winters. "The sheriff’s department will always give 110 percent. It’s up to them to decide what they want." Winters and Anderson agreed Shady Cove could provide an asset to the sheriff’s department — its current police station could become a county substation. "We have a substation in White City where our officers have access to computers and telephones," said Winters. "I’d like to have something up that way on the upper (Rogue) river. It would make things easier for officers covering Trail and Prospect, too." Shady Cove’s tax base is one of the smallest in Jackson County, Anderson said, and that couples with a low 55 cents per $1,000 tax rate to make things doubly hard for his city. Medford’s tax rate is $5.30 per $1,000 of assessed value, Rogue River’s is $3.15 and Jacksonville’s is $1.84. On June 30, Anderson said, the city’s supplemental five-year levy will expire and the remaining police budget will support only a full-time chief and one full-time officer. That, said Anderson, is not enough for a town with an increasing population. The latest census listed Shady Cove’s population at 2,540, up more than 1,000 from the early 1990s. The police force has seen considerable change since then. "Our police department consisted of one chief and one officer," he said. "They had a really low pay scale, two beater cars, no cell phone, no radios — only a pager." Anderson said federal grants and a local levy helped boost the department to its existing staffing level. Now the grants are gone, the levy is expiring and proposed funding options have been voted down by city residents. Anderson said he’s disappointed at recent levy and surcharge failures. But he also is pragmatic about the fiscal realities of his constituents. "We have some rich people and some poor people up here," he said. "A lot of the poor folks can’t afford to have their taxes raised." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times