GRANTS PASS, Ore. —Josephine County leaders, following through with what the sheriff feared, cuts to the agency’s budget. Josephine County Commissioners, approved the budget for its sheriff’s office this week.
It will, as the sheriff feared, result in cuts. We’ve been following the issue for months now. Sheriff Dave Daniel has been hoping to find a permanent funding stream, to help law enforcement.
County Finance Director, Sandy Novak, tells us the sheriff’s portion of the law enforcement budget totals to a little more than $7 million. That includes patrol, civil division, detectives, search and rescue, and administration. The jail portion is $9 million.
Novak says this means the patrol staff will drop from 29.5 positions to 18.5. The marijuana enforcement team is increasing, from 4.5 people to 9 thanks to state grants. The jail will go from 49 staffers to 44.
Commissioner Dan DeYoung called the situation dire. He says now is not the time for the sheriff’s office to cut back.
“We haven’t had a full compliment sheriff’s office in quite some time, we have been the last couple of times as close as we have been that but you cant hire and build a sheriff’s office and grants and certainly not there’s no consistency and no guarantee,” said Commissioner DeYoung.
When reached by phone Friday, Sheriff Dave Daniel declined to comment on the cut to his office.
Commissioner DeYoung says additional funding for law enforcement will likely be on the ballot. That’s either in a special election in October or in the general election in November.
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