Document text
3 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 Ashland $97K from turf goal ... C.W. Smith will run for Senate ... Death at U.S. Cellular not considered suspicious ... Ashland $97K from turf goal ... C.W. Smith will run for Senate ... Death at U.S. Cellular not considered suspicious ... JOSEPHINE COUNTY Local officials declare 'public safety fiscal emergency' The declaration starts the process of asking the governor for help By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 20, 2016 @ 12:01 am By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 20, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Josephine County is facing a public safety fiscal emergency, a group of local criminal justice system officials declared Wednesday. If the emergency isn't here already, it's on the way, with the already understaffed sheriff's office facing another round of budget cuts next year if funding isn't found, the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council said. The panel, which includes Sheriff Dave Daniel, Circuit Judge Lindi Baker and District Attorney Ryan Mulkins, voted unanimously Wednesday to make the declaration, thus beginning a process of asking for state emergency aid. The council voted to seek a meeting with state legislators from the region to smooth the way for possible action by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who could find that an emergency exists, and the state Legislature, which would authorize the aid, possibly in the millions of dollars. The council avoided the need to decide whether the county was currently in an emergency by merely deciding that one either existed or one was "imminent." "Are we in an emergency now?" said Grants Pass Mayor Darin Fowler, who sits on the safety council. "I think we are." "Are we in one now?" echoed Gary Berlant, another member of the council and head of the Josephine County Public Defender's Office. "I think we'll all agree we'll be in one if we get cut." Budget cuts brought on by declining federal payments to the county essentially halved the sheriff's office in 2012, ending 24-hour patrol coverage, with more cuts expected next spring if federal payments continue to fall or stop altogether. County voters, meanwhile, have rejected four straight tax proposals to raise what is the lowest permanent property tax rate for county operations in Oregon at 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The state average is about $2.50 per $1,000. "We're looking at cutting that (current funding) in half again," county Finance Director Arthur O'Hare told the council. Budget cuts also have closed the county's 30-bed juvenile shelter and detention facility and dropped the number of inmates held at the 262-bed county jail from 170 to 130. O'Hare said the upcoming cuts could mirror those in 2012, when the jail held only 60 inmates. To stave that off, the county Board of Commissioners is mulling over a possible request to the governor for help, under provisions of an untested 2013 state law that allows the state to step in for 18 months to provide help, if the cost of the aid is matched by the county. The Legislature would have to act to authorize the state's portion. What would happen after that 18 months is another question. "Wouldn't this just be kicking the can again down the road?" Grants Pass Public Safety Director Bill Landis asked the council. "It'd be better to have a can to kick," Sheriff Dave Daniel replied. And Josephine Circuit Court Judge Lindi Baker wondered what would happen after the can was kicked, if no plan was in place for a permanent solution. "If this county's not prepared to do that, what's the point?" she asked. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office had 98 budgeted positions four years ago, but has 51 now, and its patrol force has been cut from 30 deputies to 10. Its detective division is gone and its records division is one person. To make up some of the shortfall, Oregon State Police troopers have been diverting from their highway patrols to answer life-threatening calls for service in rural areas of the county. And OSP detectives are investigating major crimes in rural areas. The Josephine County Jail, which typically housed 170 inmates in the past, now is housing 130 on average. And 30 of those inmates are being housed on contract with the city of Grants Pass, at a cost of $1 million a year to city residents. By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Shaun Hall Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 20, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501