Grants Pass, Ore., — For the 5th time in just the last 4 years, Josephine County voters are considering another public safety levy to aid the understaffed sheriff’s department.
Measure 17-74 is a 4-year property tax levy aimed at generating approximately 10-million dollars a year for law enforcement.
That means property owners would pay an additional $1.42 for every one dollars of assessed property value, or about 24 more dollars a month for a home valued at 200,000 dollars.
A 5-person citizen oversight committee would ensure money is spent only on public safety, which would include things like increasing the number of patrol deputies, providing increased resources for prosecution, enhancing treatment programs, and adding more jail beds.
Levy supporters had to scramble to get enough signatures to get it on the ballot.
Right now it looks like it didn’t pass.
Josephine County voters were watching this race closely.
Levy supporters were at restaurants around Grants Pass following the race tonight.
NBC5 spoke with one of the levy organizers, Colene Martin, she says she’s absolutely devastated with the outcome.
Martin says there’s an obvious safety problem in the county that voters are going to have to deal with one way or another.
“I think the ball is in their court at this point and we want it we want to make it happen, this is a Josephine County problem, and it’s going to take an entire Josephine County solution to fix it.”
NBC5 spoke with anti-levy voters who say they’re glad the measure didn’t pass, as it’s a very clear sign the people have spoken and are finally being heard – they don’t want another levy.
Martin says they don’t plan to try for a sixth time, but do want to work with people to find a common middle ground.
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