MERLIN, Ore. – In Josephine Co., residents will vote on whether or not they want to allow a fire district in their community.
If approved, the Josephine Independent Rural Fire Protection District would be formed. Residents would pay an extra tax of $1.74 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The new fire district would also have 5 board members to govern it.
“This is like one of several different attempts that have brought us to this point. And I can say in the 33 years I’ve been doing this it’s been on the to-do list for quite some time,” said Austin Prince, Rural Metro Fire.
People who are against the ballot measure say they don’t want the additional property tax. They say many people are getting by just fine with the work being done by the independent firefighting agencies in Josephine County.
Residents have until next Tuesday at 8 pm to drop off their ballot in an official dropbox.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.