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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 21, 2004 Jacksonville fire levy on ballot is there as a backup plan By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — Public Safety Committee members say they helped place a $230,000 annual fire department levy before voters as an "insurance policy." Committee spokesman Dick Ames said he "strongly urged" an initially reluctant City Council toward its unanimous vote to place the five-year levy on the Nov. 2 ballot. "We need to ensure funding for the city’s fire department," said Ames. "It’s an insurance policy." The fire department’s current funding source is undergoing a legal challenge. A dozen residents protested the monthly surcharge fee — which ranged from $15 to $75 — as taxation without representation and filed suit in Oregon Tax Court. The city has been allowed to continue collecting the surcharge, but they cannot spend the money. Fifteen months and $290,000 later, the funds remain in an interest-bearing account awaiting a final decision. Advertisement The proposed levy would impose $1.06 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $212 a year on a $200,000 home. It will go into effect only if the city does not prevail in its surcharge defense, said Ames. If passed and implemented, the levy’s start date would be July 1, 2005. Ames said the money is needed to provide the department with new equipment and enough paid firefighters to ensure protection for the community. Jacksonville has one paid chief and an all-volunteer firefighting staff. Proceeds from the levy or the surcharge will help pay salaries for four firefighters and tuition for three student firefighters, providing round-the-clock coverage. Funds also will pay for an upgraded fire engine. Several of the committee’s members worked to defeat the city’s last levy designed to raise $2.8 million for the city’s fire and police departments in November 2002. Ames and others said the previous levy — which would have imposed $2.06 per $1,000 of assessed value — was too expensive and failed to provide a permanent solution. After the measure’s defeat, Ames helped form an ad hoc safety committee and worked to find other funding solutions. Attempts to impose food and beverage taxes failed. Eventually the committee came up with the safety surcharge, which was implemented and immediately challenged. City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen said the lawsuit is now before the tax court judge for deliberation. But what the judge’s decision will be, or even when it will be rendered, is causing the funding uncertainties, he said. "(The judge’s decision) could come down tomorrow. Or it could be three months from now," said Wyntergreen. "The worst-case scenario would be if we didn’t hear anything until July 2 of next year. In that case, we’d have to make a decision about the levy before we knew the result of the lawsuit." Whatever the decision, either side can appeal, said Wyntergreen. Meanwhile, the fate of the money collected in the past 15 months remains unclear, he said. Ames said he hopes the judge will rule in Jacksonville’s favor and reinstate the surcharge as a permanent funding solution for the fire department. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s