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Sheriff says money woes force him to ask for tax proposal Saturday Feb 4, 2017 at 2:30 PM Feb 4, 2017 at 2:30 PM By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Sheriff Dave Daniel is asking the Josephine County Board of Commissioners to put a five-year property tax proposal before voters in May to fund county jail operations. Commissioners agreed to have a draft order drawn up for consideration next Wednesday, although board Chairman Simon Hare lobbied hard to include funding that would also reopen the county's juvenile shelter-detention facility. Facing another round of budget cuts like the ones in 2012 that his agency has never recovered from, Daniel made his pitch during a high-stakes appearance before the Board of Commissioners Thursday that took in history, the current political climate and a stark look at his department's projected budget. Afterward, outside the county courthouse, Daniel said he was risking "political suicide," but that dwindling bailout money from the federal government left him no choice. "People don't want levies," he said. "I tried to address their wishes the best I could." The proposal would at least give voters a choice — the other choice being a Sheriff's Office possibly without a patrol division and a jail that holds between 80 and 90 inmates, down from 130 currently, according to Daniel. His pitch included some differences from past tax measure proposals, one of which was defeated in November: Dwindling federal revenue is behind the need to up revenue. Lacking new revenue, the already reduced Sheriff's Office budget might take an additional 29 percent hit. If the tax measure passes, the number of inmates at the 262-bed jail could jump from 130 to 185, enough to take in all persons arrested in the county, Daniel said. Also, the city of Grants Pass would be able to cancel its costly $1 million annual contract with the county that pays for an extra 28 beds. Daniel suggested a tax rate of 84 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, considerably less than a proposed rate of $1.42 that was defeated at the polls by a 3-2 margin in November. The November proposal would have allowed the restoration of round-the-clock deputy patrols, while Daniel's proposal would use the levy exclusively for the jail and keep patrols at current levels of 10 hours a day using other revenue sources. November's proposal also would have allowed the reopening of the county's juvenile detention facility in Grants Pass, something Daniel's current proposal doesn't call for. However, Hare said a well funded juvenile system could divert youthful offenders from a life of crime, and keep them out of jail when they get older. "I want to fund that detention facility one way or the other," he said. To make that happen, an additional 9 cents could be added to Daniel's proposed 84-cent rate. The board directed County Legal Counsel Wally Hicks to bring back a draft order, ballot title and explanatory statement showing a 93-cent rate. The deadline to file in time to make the May ballot is Feb. 15, when it might come before the board for final action at its weekly business session that day. Federal money that once flowed to the county from timber tax receipts has declined greatly in the last 25 years. To help make up the shortfall, the federal Secure Rural Schools program was created as a stopgap measure, but the program has not been renewed by Congress, leaving the county with $10 million less a year than it received a decade ago. The Sheriff's Office has 58 employees, down from 98 in 2012, the year that budget cuts forced deep layoffs at the agency and resulted in the closure of the juvenile detention facility. The agency's budget this year is $7.9 million, but that could drop $2.3 million next year without new funding to replace federal subsidies, Daniel said. In the early 2000s, the county had 685 full-time equivalent positions, but that has dropped to 330 positions, with more than 150 mental health jobs outsourced and the county library system now run by a private nonprofit group that relies on donations and grants to keep the library open. Library supporters are seeking a spot on the May ballot for a limited independent library district encompassing Grants Pass, Cave Junction, Williams and Wolf Creek, while the county is seeking to renew an 8-cent levy to fund animal shelter and protection operations. — Reach reporter Shaun Hall at 541-474-3722 or [email protected]