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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 12, 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 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 March 9, 2005 PERS ruling puts Medford police station project on back burner By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Most public officials in the Rogue Valley are struggling to understand the implications of Tuesday’s 150-page Supreme Court ruling on PERS reforms. But some already are writing off ambitious near-future plans. Mike Dyal, Medford’s city manager, said Tuesday’s decision puts capital improvement projects such as a new police headquarters on the back burner. The City Council in October gave the thumbs up, pending funding, for a $7.5 million, 30,000-square-foot police headquarters to be built at 10th and Ivy streets, currently a city staff parking lot. Construction was expected to be complete at the end of 2006. But the project would have been funded with bonds, which the city will not pursue with the fiscal burden of PERS weighing down budgets for the foreseeable future. Dyal said it’s too soon to say what other projects will be affected. Advertisement PERS was already having a serious impact before the court ruling, said Dyal. "We borrowed last year $29 million to pay off our accumulated debt to PERS," said Dyal. He said public agencies’ required contributions to employees pensions have had several dramatic increases. "It’s grown because of the investment losses, not because of anything the cities or schools or districts did," he said. "That’s why we feel like victims every time the bill comes around." Gino Grimaldi, Ashland’s city administrator, said that, like other local governments, his city is prepared for the financial hit. "It is something that we have been planning for," he said. He does not anticipate project delays or personnel cuts will be needed to cover the costs. "We did set some money aside," he said, adding that the long-term effects are yet unknown. "We should be OK in the short-term," he said. Phil Messina, Central Point city administrator, said city staff had not yet had a chance to translate the decision into a detailed fiscal impact. "We don’t see it affecting any projects right now," he said. 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 Advertisement s