Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2003)
Page 4 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 7, 2003 Resign ... Charter change plan (Continued from page 1) (Continued from page 1) that first, this proposal has been wisely turned down by voters in the past. “Overall it’s an effort to diminish the influence of our commissioners,” said the chairman, “and that’s pre- cisely what it would do. And especially important is that it would diminish influence and authority of our county com- missioners on the state and federal levels. “It’s one of the most im- portant aspects of our jobs,” said Brock, “as nearly 70 per- cent of the county is public land. We spend a lot of time on lobbying efforts in Salem and Washington, D.C.” He noted that had it not been for such efforts, the county would not be receiving $11.5 million in O&C (timberland) funds, but would have received a lot less. “It’s a big concern,” said Brock. “We don’t want to di- minish the influence of Jose- phine County outside its bor- ders, and you’re not going to get volunteers to influence legislation.” Brock said that the author- ity and influence of govern- ment in Oregon has “a history of evolving over time. It is a form of government,” he said, “that represents the history of Oregon.” Having a county manager, he added, wouldn’t maintain that history, as nei- ther that person nor volunteer commissioners would be able to maintain legislative influ- ence. Brock, in his second term, said that better efficiency and cost-effectiveness would not result from a new charter, as backers of the planned change say. Regarding efficiency, he said that it’s been difficult to find people to run for three seats, let alone seven. He said that the county board works to treat Illinois Valley as a spe- cial place, and that a seven- member board, even with one person specifically elected to represent the valley, would not do as good a job as cur- rently. In addition, Brock said that voters need to be aware that under the charter pro- posal, they would not be able to vote for three of the seven commissioners. Other con- cerns given by Brock, speak- ing for himself and his two fellow commissioners: *Under a county adminis- trator, citizens would not have good access to register com- plaints as now, because the administrator would be in charge of hiring and firing; not the commissioners. *Citizens would not have much say in the hiring or fir- ing of a county manager. *The change in the charter would serve to maintain and even foster the status quo, rather than allowing flexibility that exists now. *A new bureaucracy would result, costing possibly more than the current three commissioners. A county ad- ministrator would need an assistant, secretaries and likely other staff, Brock said. *The quality of volunteers would not be so good because of the nominal pay. “The re- tired, the wealthy and those with special interests would come forward,” said “leaving out young entrepreneurs like me and Jim Riddle.” *Because the charter change proposal was “conducted in secret,” it left the public out, and it would have better to have public in- put. “It’s just a straight power play,” said Brock. *The brochure put out by the group seeking the charter change contains misinforma- tion. he can determine from check- ing county records, there has been no charter review com- mittee as stipulated by the cur- rent charter. Another of the commit- tee’s major “selling points,” Smith indicated, is that each commissioner now receives annual salary and benefits to- taling $94,118 or a total of $282,356. If the charter changes are OK’d by voters, each of the seven commission- ers would be paid $6,000 an- nually ($500 per month) and there would be no benefits. No changes could be made with- out voter approval, said Smith. Other employer costs would result in a total of $45,297; with a total annual outlay for the seven commis- sioners of $87,297. This would result in an annual sav- ing of $195,059 when com- pared with the salaries and benefits under the current charter. Smith said that the admin- istrator’s salary would be set by the board, “but the esti- mated annual savings should be at least $100,000.” He said that, “The current charter initially was adopted in 1981 and no longer reflects the priorities of the citizens of Josephine County. Many sur- veys and studies conducted through the years showing what we, the citizens, consider important, but those recom- mendations have been mostly ignored. “Fiscal irresponsibility, inefficiency and politics should no longer be allowed to exist in our county govern- ment. The new charter will give the citizens a stronger voice in how our county is administered,” said Smith. The committee, he added, asks, “Has our money been spent according to the priori- ties we have shown, in one survey after another, to be most important to us?” The county’s fiscal year budget is approximately $102 million, said Smith. “About $15 million is now put in a discretionary fund under the complete control of the com- missioners,” he said. “Currently,” he continued, “no one person is responsible for putting together the entire county picture. An administra- tor will provide consistency, efficiency and financial stabil- ity. The person hired as ad- ministrator would serve at the will of the commissioners, with a selection committee consisting of three commis- sioners and four non-office holding citizens. “The administrator’s con- tract would be for no more than three years, and his or her performance would be re- viewed annually. We need more expertise to administer our tax-funded multimillion dollar business.” A tiger’s paw prints are called pug marks. Some are questioning whether a sufficient number of qualified persons could be found to run for the seven commission seats. However, Smith noted that organizations including Three Rivers School District, Rogue Community College School District, Grants Pass School District, and Grants Pass City Council have no difficulty in that area, and that those volunteers re- ceive neither pay nor benefits. Each of the current board members, including Jim Rid- dle, elected last year, would complete their terms; Harold Haugen and Jim Brock will need to run for re-election next year. The four new commis- sioners, to comprise the seven-member-body, each would serve four-year terms. At the expiration of their terms, two of the district com- missioners would run for two- year terms, and two of the at- large candidates would run for four-year terms, said Smith. “The people are out there,” he said. He indicated that many qualified persons, including retired persons and those in business, would rather serve their communities part time, rather than the cur- rent full-time situation now. He said that besides ignor- ing the “wants” indicated by citizens to commissioners, either past or current, they have “wasted money” on such surveys. Smith said that the county has no central purchas- ing plan, which means that money that could be saved through group-buying is lost. He said he found that a Hood River organization, hired approximately two years ago, was “fired with only 65 percent of its work finished.” He stated that the dismissal was due to the fact that in its preliminary report, the organi- zation noted “a lack of profes- sional certification” among commissioners, and that it noted they could be “a more- effective team if they didn’t gang up on each other.” In addition, he said, the group was aiming for better fiscal management and streamlining in areas including personnel. “We keep hearing that more money is needed to run the county,” said Smith. “We do not believe that. Instead, we believe that efficiency, better accountability and com- mon sense are needed. We and others believe that the county long overdue for a drastic change. “Our commissioners have wasted millions of dollars foolishly and idiotically,” Smith said. “Our parks are deteriorating, the sheriff’s of- fice and other county opera- tions take major financial hits: This continuing process has to end. We need a new charter to accomplish these aims,” he concluded. POTTERY OPEN HOUSE - Stephanie Friedman (left) held an open house on Saturday, May 3 at her new Cone Ten Pottery Studio & Gallery. Among those attending and working with clay were Briana Bode, 11, (center) and Kia Parrish-Haim, 8. The new business is in the former Goodwill building, at 360 Caves Hwy., across from Pietro’s Italian Restaurant. Classes are of- fered, and items are available for sale. For more information phone 592-4646. YARD/TENT - INSIDE SALE Health & Beauty Aids/Groceries Stuff & Junk *Pantene Pro V Shampoo & Conditioner Assorted Varieties - 6.8 oz. - 13.5 oz. - $1.50 - $2.50 *Clairol ‘Nice ‘n Easy’ Hair Color Assorted Varieties - $3 each *Vidal Sassoon Hair Care Products Bring your favorite pet to the 7th annual PET PARADE 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Don’t forget to dress up your pet! 5.1 oz. - 8.5 oz. - $1.25 each *Crest Toothpaste multi-care, tartar control, extra whitening, baking soda & peroxide, rejuvenating effects 3.75 oz. - 8.2 oz. - 50-cents & $1.75 each *Pampers Mega Packs - Size 2 Swadders 84 pack - $15 *Ultra Dawn dishwashing detergent 12.6 oz. - $1 each *Super Moist cake mixes selected varieties - 3 for $1 *General Mills & Kellogg’s Cereals Buy 3 GET 1 FREE 18254 Redwood Hwy., Selma Co-sponsored by Illinois Valley Early Childhood Coalition Family Foundation, Early Head Start & Head Start of Southern Oregon, Commission for Children & Families, Early Intervention, Dome School, Project Baby Check, I.V. Safe House Alliance, Dept. of Human Services and Self Suffi- ciency. With help from: Karen’s Child Care, Southern Oregon Public Television, I.V. Lion’s Club, Wildlife Images, Oregon Caves, Key Club and Kiwanis. For more information phone Suzan at 592-3259
