GP voters asked to continue public safety funding on May ballot

GRANTS PASS, Ore — Funding to maintain various different Grants Pass public safety jobs are in the hands of voters this month.

Measure 17-97 first failed in the November election. If passed at the time, it would have cost residents $1.89 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The vote prompted city officials to decrease the levy rate by 10 cents.

“Its anticipated that with the levy failure, there will be personal cuts,” Vanessa Ogier, Ward 4 Representative with the Grants Pass City Council told NBC5. “That can translate to firefighters, dispatchers, police officers, and crisis support services.”

Ogier notes that residents are currently paying for the levy, but is hoping residents can extend the funding.