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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2006)
Page 9 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Fear of job loss casts pall over courthouse (Continued from page 1) a volunteer coordinator have also been lost, Daniel said. However, those resigna- tions were anticipated, and not necessarily related to pressing funding issues. Still, Daniel admits that many deputies are preparing for the proverbial pink slip. “All of a sudden, every- body is down about the pos- sibility of layoffs,” said the lame duck top county offi- cer. “There’s big uncertainty in Josephine County.” Daniel said that even though he isn’t expecting any “mass resignations,” potential cuts “may end county government as we know it today.” Sheriff’s patrol, detective and record clerk positions would be lost, making it extremely difficult to perform even the most basic law enforcement. “We’re looking at losing three-fourths of the depart- ment,” Daniel said. “It would be an absolute disaster.” The Josephine County Community Justice Dept. is currently processing more than 1,000 felony cases, said Deputy Director Abe Hunt- ley. It handles parole, proba- tion, community service and work crews involving adult and juvenile offenders. Huntley said that al- though the adult programs are funded “almost entirely” by the state, countywide cuts would cause a “ripple effect across the entire system.” “We lose the ability to do our job effectively if our partner agencies lose fund- ing,” Huntley said. “It is a system,” he said. “If the D.A.’s office is af- fected, we will be, and if the jail is affected, we will be.” Like many departments, the district attorney’s office relies heavily on the county’s general fund. But fewer prosecutions would eventually mean bad news for Community Justice, which receives state funding according to the number of cases it handles. “If the courts shut down today, we would be fine for a while,” Huntley said. “But we would eventually lose our referral source.” Huntley said the depart- ment has one vacancy right now, but that filling it may be somewhat difficult under existing circumstances. “It’s hard to recruit good, quality people with the state of flux the county is in,” Huntley said. “It takes a long time to recruit good people, hire, train and get them on the job.” The county’s work crew program would be immedi- ately affected by budget cuts, Huntley said, along with other crucial supervi- sory functions. “It affects our ability to sanction people to work crew and community ser- vice,” Huntley said. “The people we supervise realize that if we arrest them for failing their terms, we will have to release them.” Planning sessions have been scheduled among county agencies and offi- cials to try and prepare for the worst. Josephine County commissioner-elect Dave Toler, an Illinois Valley resident, said that he will begin attending those ses- sions in an attempt to work out some sort of a solution. “We have to come up with better ways to do things and come up with the resources to deliver services Honesty to the people of the county,” Toler said. The commissioner-elect said that he is “cautiously optimistic” that Congress may renew the O&C fund- ing for one more year. He plans to help lobby mem- bers of Oregon’s delegation. However, Toler said that the county ultimately will have to become more self-reliant and stop depend- ing on the federal govern- ment to pay its bills. “Beyond any doubt, we’re looking at having to rely more on ourselves to provide resources to some of the services the county delivers,” he said. “I don’t necessarily think that’s all bad,” Toler said. “I really believe in self- reliance, and I believe in local control. If there’s money coming in from D.C., we really do lose local control.” he said. Commissioner Jim Raf- fenburg said that there is “zero chance” that the fed- eral government will turn the O&C lands over to local counties. But he said there may be room for some sort of compromise. “From a practical stand- point, we have a much bet- ter chance to persuade the BLM to let us manage the land in a trust,” Raffenburg said. “There may be some serious interest in that in Washington.” However, until a solu- tion can be found, county employees will continue trying to do their jobs as best they can -- although that may prove difficult. “It’s hard to do your best work when you’re plan- ning for a worst-case sce- nario,” Huntley said. - Story and photo by Scott Jorgensen In the letter, Reedy re- quested that the city allow the developer to bond for the project’s sidewalks be- cause “sidewalks installed before construction begins get broken up and need to be replaced anyway.” The estimated cost of the sidewalks is $19,906, and the driveway ap- proaches will cost $20,400, Reedy wrote. As such, Reedy suggested a bond in the amount of $41,000. In a Nov. 9 response letter to Reedy, Polk wrote that the city would require a bond of $60,459 “to allow for the additional costs that may be incurred by the city in the event the bond must be utilized.” During Monday’s meet- ing, Polk said that the city has received the bond. Councilor Tom Green moved to approve the plat, on the condition that Cope- land could prove that the property’s two abandoned wells have been filled. Councilor Dan Fiske sec- onded the motion, which was then approved. The council also voted 5-0 to accept the project’s infrastructure, as well as a sanitary sewer lift station. In a Nov. 27 letter to the Steve Lyons As Grants Pass rural neighborhoods are annexed, residents who had previ- ously subscribed to fire pro- tection services cancel them. Once they are in city limits, citizens pay city taxes and receive city services, includ- ing police and fire protec- tion from the Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety. Two of the proposals involve establishing a fire district without taxation. Committee member Brett Fillis, of the Applegate Val- ley Fire District, said that any annexation would re- duce service subscriber num- bers under those options. Haugen pointed out that the county has many parcels zoned for forest use. As such, the Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) provides fire protection for neighbors of those areas. “There’s no reason for those people to participate in the district,” Haugen said. Another option would be to establish a fire district with taxation, but allow the district to operate independ- ently. Fillis said that such an option would solve the prob- lem of some neighbors not participating in the district. However, concerns were raised that establishing a fire district would be a lengthy process. The Fire Protection Committee will meet again on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 4:30 p.m. in Room 157 of the county courthouse. The public can attend. 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For your Christmas giving we have a very nice selection of Value-Packed GIFT BOXES priced from $19 to $68 Come see them or check taylorsausage.com Old-Fashioned Hickory Smoked HAMS, TURKEYS, & TURKEY BREASTS, for the finest Christmas Dinner or Gift. city, James Armstrong of The Forks development company requested that the city take over ownership of the lift station “effective immediately.” The city’s public works department recommended accepting the infrastructure, which Polk said will serve 200 lots. Polk added that the ap- proval of a bond and plat for the proposed Laurel Pines development will be ad- dressed during the council’s next meeting on Jan. 8. Our BONE-IN HAMS are specially priced until Christmas, only $1 99 lb. Boneless Beef CHUCK ROASTS, $2 49 lb. Big Chubs SUMMER or PEPPER SAUSAGE only $4 99 ea. These are 2 lb.'ers! You cannot find a better stocking stuffer deal than this, to give or receive! Steaks, Seafood, Specials, & More. Friday: Music by Ross Welcome ~NY Steak & Coconut Shrimp ~Fresh Seafood ~More Saturday: Music by ‘Just the Two of Us’ ~Prime Rib ~Crispy Chicken Salad ~More Please try us for lunch or breakfast. BISCUITS & SAUSAGE GRAVY, only $2 every morning! Sitting on your money Fire protection for rural areas under study (Continued on page 9) Integrity ♦ Attention Buyers! Take advantage of this “Buyer’s Market” now! We live here, work here, know the area well and support our local community! Call us now for all your Buying & Selling Real Estate needs. Belleau Woods subdivision plat OK’d by CJ By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer During its Dec. 11 meeting in city hall, the Cave Junction City Council voted 5-0 to approve a final plat request for the Belleau Woods Subdivision. The 12-unit develop- ment will be located off Burgundy Lane. According to a Nov. 1 letter from Copeland Pav- ing’s Jerry Reed to City Re- corder Jim Polk, all work on the project is complete “except for sidewalks and a final punch list from (public works supervisor) Gary Biggs.” ♦ isn’t always the best advice. 5.64 % APY* Lock-In On Your Money 13 Month Certificate of Deposit Minimum Balance Maximum Balance Interest Rate Annual Percentage Yield* $5,000 $250,000 5.50% 5.64% Bump Feature: You are allowed a one-time rate increase of .25% anytime after 6 months of opening the account, or, you can as a one-time option, add to this account and increase the principal outstanding up to the maximum balance allowed. Minimum to open account is $5,000. Certain penalties may be imposed for early withdrawal. *We use the daily balance method to calculate interest on this account. This method applies the daily periodic rate to the principal in the account each day. Rates are subject to change without notice. These rates are effective as of 11-27-06. 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