Jackson County Commissioners had a tough task Thursday of trying to close a 7 million dollar gap in the general fund.
Aproposed surcharge that would affect both home owners and renters in jackson county has been getting a lot of buzz from residents.
But if approved it could bring in between 1.8 and 9.1 million dollars in revenue for the county.
County Commissioner Don Skundrick proposed a surcharge for every home and apartment in the county.
The funds raised would help the struggling county.
The idea that residents may have to pay between a two and ten dollar surcharge every month just because they live in Jackson County outrages residents..
If approved the surcharge would be the same for all residents.
The county however is protected by Oregon Measure 5, which in simple terms puts a cap on how much “tax” a property can be charged.
There have been other cities and counties in oregon that have proposed similar surcharges for utilities and streets but have been denied because of the protections held by Measure 5.
County staff members are now researching whether and how the proposal could be implemented.
It’s unclear how long the research phase will take.
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