Document text
Society�s $1.4 million dwarfs the rest Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Library manager Carol Harbison-Samuelson checks a book in the documents archive at the Southern Oregon Historical Society. By Dani Dodge Although funding for the Southern Oregon Historical Society has decreased in recent years, it still gets more county money than any other historical society in the state. The Southern Oregon Historical Society is one of only six county historical societies in the state that get money as a result of a continuing tax levy. Others get grants or are self-supporting. In the current fiscal year, the Southern Oregon Historical Society and 13 smaller societies received $1.4 million from the levy through county property tax collections. Society members say they are entitled to $2.2 million because of a 1948 voter-approved continuing levy. The other two biggest county-supported historical societies get a fraction of that amount. Brad Linder, the society�s executive director, said the community�s support of the society has paid off in many ways, including the preservation of Jacksonville. "I think that it�s been great as far as the collective wisdom and knowledge," Linder said. "A lot of counties haven�t been collecting their history, and it�s been lost. We�ve been actively collecting photographs and documents for 55 years. "It�s an amazing amount of knowledge available for the public." Last week, the Southern Oregon Historical Society sued on behalf of all 14 of the county�s historical societies, alleging the county isn�t distributing the full amount the societies are entitled to under the continuing levy. But Jackson County officials contend that 1997�s Measure 50 negated the county�s obligation to give the historical societies the full portion of property taxes required under the 1948 vote. Last year, when the county was facing a shortfall, budget committee members spared sheriff�s patrols and other services by cutting money from the society�s budget. At the hearing, commissioners warned society members to brace themselves for more cuts in the future. A 1999 county audit of the Southern Oregon Historical Society concluded the society was "well-managed" and "has changed its offerings in response to a changing world." "They are able to do things other historical societies can�t do, and whether that�s good or bad isn�t something for me to answer but for the community to answer," said Sue Slack, county administrator. Slack said budget hearings in April will be a perfect time for county residents to express their ideas about the county�s budget priorities. The county won�t be facing the same budget crunch that it did last year, thanks to a $4 million boost from the federal government. "I would expect the community would come to budget committee hearings and express their views about what services they want from the Historical Society, as well as community health nurses and police officers," Slack said. In Oregon, the five other counties with voter-approved historical society tax levies are Benton, Lincoln, Crook, Tillamook and Clatsop. Benton and Lincoln counties� levies are the two largest. Benton survives on $375,000 a year, of which $280,000 is from a county-collected tax levy. Lincoln County has an annual operating budget of $276,500, with $215,850 from the county levy. The Southern Oregon Historical Society has an annual budget of $2,025,707, with $1.4 million from the levy. About $265,000 of the levy goes to the county�s 13 smaller, community historical societies. The society estimated $396,652 was collected from earnings (museum admissions and research fees) and $184,500 from contributions last year. Benton County Historical Society Development Director Catherine Roberts said that comparing its operations to Southern Oregon�s is like comparing apples to oranges. "SOHS has been in operation so long and has developed so many facilities," Roberts said. "Oregon is a destination for history buffs because of the facilities developed over the years. "We aren�t doing more with less; the situation is just different." Jackson County�s overall budget is just over $206 million. The department closest in size financially to the society is the parks and recreation department, which operates all the county parks on an annual budget of $2,075,000. The Southern Oregon Historical Society manages 96,000 square feet of interior space and about 39 acres of grounds in five locations. Among the society�s museums are the Jacksonville Museum of Southern Oregon History, the Southern Oregon History Center and the Hanley Farm. The society�s collection includes about 81,000 artifacts and 750,000 photographs. Staffing of the Southern Oregon Historical Society has gone from a high of 44 in 1996 to 32 today. Salaries make up about 75 percent of the society�s budget. Salaries range from the executive director, who makes $58,896 a year, to a receptionist earning $17,272 a year. Some start out at minimum wage, such as living-history interpreters who dress in historical garb and create characters from the past. If the society wins the lawsuit, Linder said, he expects to continue development of the Hanley Farm and make the collections more accessible to the public both through Web sites and disabled access at museums. More money would be passed on to the smaller community historical societies, he said. "Our mission to collect and preserve and educate would be better accomplished," Linder said. "Significantly. " Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.