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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 » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW SOU launches 89th graduating class ... Buckskin fire southwest of Cave Junction grows to 1,200 acres ... Review: OSF's 'Antony and Cleopatra' mixes comedy, tragedy ... SOU launches 89th graduating class ... Buckskin fire southwest of Cave Junction grows to 1,200 acres ... Review: OSF's 'Antony and Cleopatra' mixes comedy, tragedy ... OUR VIEW Our View: Josephine County's road fund roulette Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jun. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Our neighbors in Josephine County continue to patch the holes in their public safety system any way they can, and once again found themselves eyeing money that should go to patch roads instead. Cooler heads appear to have prevailed for now, but the county commissioners will have the final say. They should hold the line and resist the quick fix.  The money in question is $1 million in federal road funds. The Oregon Legislature in 2012 changed state law to allow counties to divert road money for public safety, but only temporarily. The law in question expires next January. That ought to have been a strong signal to county officials to find a long-term solution. But voters in Josephine County have repeatedly refused to approve tax levies to restore patrol deputies, jail beds and prosecutors. So some county officials have once again proposed diverting the road money. The county did that once before, in 2013, "borrowing" $425,000 from the road fund to pay for sheriff's patrols. That money has yet to be repaid, Now a citizen member of the county Budget Committee has proposed pulling $500,000 of the $1 million in the road fund for law enforcement. But the state law authorizing the transfer requires that the money be spent only on law enforcement related to roads, meaning it could be spent only on patrol costs, not jail deputies or other public safety needs. What's more, patrol deputies hired and trained with the money would just have to be laid off again when the money ran out. The full Budget Committee, which includes the three commissioners, has turned back the proposal for now, but the commissioners are scheduled to adopt the final budget on June 17. They should resist any pressure to divert public works money. And state lawmakers should not permit such diversions in the future.  Josephine County residents should not be given the false impression that money can always be found to pay for law enforcement without asking taxpayers to contribute to their own safety.   MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 10, 2015 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 + 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 2015 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