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0 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 Car crashes into west Medford liquor store ... BOLI finds evidence of retaliation by Gold Hill city manager ... Tribe calls lottery ad campaign 'hypocritical' ... Car crashes into west Medford liquor store ... BOLI finds evidence of retaliation by Gold Hill city manager ... Tribe calls lottery ad campaign 'hypocritical' ... OUR VIEW Our View: County should let voters decide SOHS levy Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Apr. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Southern Oregon Historical Society has seen nothing but hard times since its voter-approved levy was rolled into the county's overall tax base in the late 1990s. Now the Jackson County commissioners seem reluctant to give the society a glimmer of hope. The Historical Society has asked the county to place a very modest levy request — 5 cents per $1,000 assessed value — on the November ballot. The levy would generate enough to keep the county society operating at a bare-bones level and give some help to smaller historical groups. In the meantime, SOHS has requested $400,000 in cash assistance to prevent having to lay off all but one staff member. Unwilling to approve that request, the commissioners instead authorized County Administrator Danny Jordan to expedite the sale of the U.S. Hotel building in Jacksonville. The county owns the building, and has agreed to share the proceeds with the society. The county gave SOHS $300,000 last year. Selling the U.S. Hotel more quickly — which likely means lowering the roughly $1 million asking price — is fine, but if that takes too long, the county should help the society stay afloat in the meantime. Jordan warned that a SOHS levy could face competition from levy requests by the Rogue Valley Transportation District and Rogue Community College, but those measures are on the May 17 primary ballot, not the November ballot. This county has a rich history, and years of a fully functioning, tax-supported historical society amassed an impressive collection of artifacts, documents and photographs. The county bears some responsibility for seeing that collection preserved and protected, and made available to researchers and to the public through exhibits. It's not unreasonable to ask voters to help with that. The commissioners said an election would cost the county $20,000 to $30,000. That seems a bit high, given the fact that the county is running a major general election in November anyway. And if the society gathered signatures to put the measure on the ballot, the cost to the county would be the same. Still, the commissioners want to spend $15,000 on a study to see if a historical levy has a chance of passing. There is an easier way to find out if a levy will pass. Just put it on the ballot. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events 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