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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, June 24, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 20, 2004 Much of the interior of the Kells� home in Jacksonville was destroyed by the intense heat of the fire. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Safe at Home?: Some alternatives to pay for much-needed services come up against firewalls By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune Finding a stable funding source for the Jacksonville Fire Department has proven challenging as the city struggles to generate enough money to add firefighters and purchase modern equipment. Jacksonville resident Michael Kell lost his home on G Street to fire on April 14. Though the volunteers fought as hard as they could, he says, it wasn’t enough to save his home. "They need a full-time crew," says Kell. "It’s not fair to expect them to do more than they can." Kell says current property tax revenues are inadequate to fund the city’s fire department. In 1997, Measure 50 froze Jacksonville’s tax base at $1.84 per $1,000 of assessed value. By comparison, Medford’s base is $5.30 per $1,000, Rogue River’s is $3.15 per $1,000 and Shady Cove’s is 55 cents per $1,000. Advertisement A $2.8 million fire levy failed in 2002. In 2003, a newly formed public safety committee recommended an annual budget of $240,000 for the fire department. In addition to providing stabilized funding for the police department, the money would be used to hire four additional full-time firefighters in order to staff the station continuously; repair and modernize the fire station; acquire a second fire engine; and beef up staff reserves and summer hires. The committee, largely made up of levy opponents, came up with suggestions for alternative funding options. The committee’s first suggestion was to create a food and beverage tax. That idea was met with strong opposition from business owners. McLevin’s restaurant owner Jeff Levin says placing the burden on only one segment of Jacksonville’s population was unfair. "Fire safety affects everybody in Jacksonville. Why single out one industry?" Levin says. The committee and the City Council settled on a $15 monthly surcharge to be sent out with the city water bills beginning in June 2003. However, 12 residents have filed a constitutional challenge in Oregon Tax Court, putting the funding source on hold. The plaintiffs, represented by Portland attorney Karen Williams, claim the surcharge is taxation without representation and is in violation of Measure 50. Although the monthly fees are still being collected from residents, the funds must remain unused in an interest bearing account until the legal question is resolved, says City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen. Some say the tax-protesting residents are being short-sighted. Levin says the surcharge is reasonable. "I think the $15 is cheap," he says. "They should pay the $15, and enjoy the peace of mind." But some property owners with multiple units in their buildings are paying more than $15 a month. Skip Skeen, owner of a three-story historic building at the corner of South Oregon and Pine streets, says he was hit with a $75 monthly surcharge. Skeen was charged $15 on each of the five business units contained within his building. This is unfair, Skeen says, since heavily used areas such as the Britt Festivals and Cascade Christian High School are only paying $15. Additionally, he says, his concerns and questions were not addressed by the committee. Wyntergreen says the system does have its flaws, but it is the best one available. And, he says, the council has reduced or eliminated the fee in some severe hardship cases. Kell agrees with Levin that $15 is a small price to pay for fire safety. "I don’t want to play a blame game," says Kell. "But if the argument is based on hardship, it’s a silly argument. If the argument is based on taxation without representation, we’re only shooting ourselves in the foot." The safety committee is frustrated. "Over $200,000 has been collected, but no service is being provided," says committee member Hal McAlister. Committee member Dick Ames says if the city loses, it might attempt to annex with Medford or Central Point fire districts, or it might try to float another levy. This time, says Ames, he would not oppose a levy. Kell says annexation would be expensive. "I estimate we’d be paying over $3 per $1,000," he says. "That’s almost double what we’re paying now." Fire Chief Tracy Shaw is hoping the city prevails. "We’re going to win in tax court and we’ll be back in business," says Shaw. Kell says he is determined to help find a solution to this safety crisis. Familiar with fund raising, Kell’s wife, Mary, organized an event last November which raised $22,000 to promote local commerce during a $3.46 million repaving project downtown. "We want to harness some of the fund-raising momentum we had last year and hire a private fund-raiser to coordinate (more auctions)," says Kell. "The fire department has immediate needs." 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 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