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Gold Hill decides to ask voters whether they'll pay police costs By BUFFY POLLOCK GOLD HILL - The City Council approved placing a $270,000 operating levy proposal on the September ballot to see if residents are willing to pay for the police department they apparently want. "Survey results have already said what the majority of the people think they want. Now we've gotta ask them to pony up their pocketbooks," said Councilman Gus Wolf. If approved, the levy would help fund the second member of a two-man police department, staffed 24-hours a day by a "working chief," one patrol officer and reserves to fill scheduling gaps. Councilwoman Donna Silva said re-establishing the department is "largely dependent on the levy passing." "Basically the city has enough money to open the department and hire a chief, but we don't have the money to pay for anything else." Silva said the department would be reopened only if it could be staffed with at least two full-timers. "We just got rid of a one-person department, so we know that's not going to work. We at least need two officers to offer the kind of protection the people told us they wanted." Salary for a chief, operating costs and materials would come from the town's $75,000 public safety budget. Council members were prompted to look into reopening the police department after a recent presentation from Norman Counts, police chief for the Siletz tribe of American Indians. Counts offered to be Gold Hill's police chief for the same pay he's earning now. In addition to Counts' offer, the city has the option of contracting with either Rogue Valley Security or the sheriff's department. A previous contract with the sheriff, terminated last month because of its cost, offered "emergency coverage with some priority" for $61 an hour. Mayor Scott Eilefson said he is concerned that the city could "miss out" if a decision takes too long. "I think we've got some really good opportunities here. I'd like to see us get our information together so the best decision can be made. I'm encouraged by the quality of individuals that are interested in our situation," said Eilefson. "We may end up with a department. We may end up with the sheriff. When it boils down to it we may end up doing something that some of us won't like but we have to do what will be best for the city and this community," Silva said. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.