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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Rogue Valley pair hope supporters will breathe life into 'Don't Die' ... Mail Tribune 100: Oct. 19, 1915 ... RCC lands $14.6 million job-training grant for low-income students ... Rogue Valley pair hope supporters will breathe life into 'Don't Die' ... Mail Tribune 100: Oct. 19, 1915 ... RCC lands $14.6 million job-training grant for low-income students ... OUR VIEW Our View: Josephine voters choose lawlessness again Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Once more, voters in Josephine county have refused to take responsibility for their own safety, defeating a proposed tax levy that would have paid for sheriff's deputies and jail beds. That means no relief for rural residents who can't get law enforcement to respond even when they've fired a shotgun at a trespasser. The proposed levy on Tuesday's ballot would have cost property owners $1.40 per $1,000 assessed value. The levy would have raised $9 million a year to hire more sheriff's deputies, increase jail capacity and reopen a youth detention center. It was the fourth time since 2012 that Josephine voters have turned down a public safety levy. And the vote wasn't close: The levy failed 54 percent to 46 percent. Josephine County is one of the Western Oregon counties that formerly paid for public services with its share of the proceeds from timber sold on federal forest lands. Logging restrictions enacted since the 1980s spelled the end to that money, but Josephine County never took steps to replace it; the county still has the lowest property tax rate in the state at 58 cents per $1,000 assessed value. Jackson County, by contrast, has weathered the loss of timber money much better, and it has a higher tax rate. That has come at some cost; the county workforce was sharply reduced, and services formerly provided by dedicated levies such as the county historical society and library system were left to fend for themselves or find new funding. But public safety has remained a priority. In Josephine County, the sheriff's department no longer provides 24-hour coverage. A one-time use of reserve funds allowed the department to put six deputies on the road, up from a low of two, but that money runs out in July. Oregon State Police troopers do their best to respond to emergency situations when deputies are not available, but that is no substitute for county funding, nor should it be. Every trooper responding to a Josephine County call is one not available to patrol Interstate 5 or to assist police in this county. In one installment of a video series produced by the pro-levy group Secure our Safety, a Josephine County resident describes wounding a trespasser on his property with a shotgun after the man pulled a handgun on the property owner's son. When he reported the incident to OSP, the resident said a trooper told him a response wasn't necessary. Jackson County law enforcement agencies have said they will pursue suspects across the county line after crimes are committed here, but won't respond to calls originating in Josephine County. That policy needs to remain in force. Josephine County residents have made their choice, and they will have to live with the consequences. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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