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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2007)
County charter review process looks possible Top administrator among potential changes A MAJOR EMERGENCY involving a motorhome that de- molished the front of Pizza Pit and resulted in five persons being injured occurred Sunday, July 1 in Downtown Cave Junction. Story and additional photos on page 5. (Photos by Michelle Binker and Bob Rodriguez, Illinois Valley News) By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Proposed changes to Josephine County’s charter caused much consternation among the board of com- missioners last week. During the board’s Wednesday, June 27 meet- ing at Anne Basker Audito- rium in Grants Pass, Ron Lee of the U.S. Observer read a statement from his publisher, Ed Snook. Snook accused Com- missioner Dwight Ellis of conspiring with council counsel Steve Rich and re- tired insurance agent Harry Mackin to change the char- ter during the commission- ers’ Friday, June 29 general discussion. Ellis decried Lee and Snook’s efforts as “yellow journalism,” and said he had no recent contact with Mackin. “I haven’t talked to Harry Mackin in months,” Ellis said. Ellis went on to state that 30 percent of the charter is outdated, and has caused liability issues for the county. He denied trying to make an end-run around public processes. “It’s been years and years since our charter has been reviewed,” Ellis said. “That’s my only motiva- tion.” Board Chairman Jim Raffenburg confirmed that the charter review process was on the agenda for the June 29 meeting, and said that he was “not in favor” of such action. Tensions flared during a heated exchange between Raffenburg and Ellis, who began shouting and inter- rupting each other. “I can’t sit here and let you say those things,” Ellis said angrily. Raffenburg stated that Ellis scheduled the charter review for the agenda, and had been involved, with Mackin, in a 2003 effort to change the charter. That pro- posal was soundly rejected by voters. Ellis described his past involvement as “water un- der the bridge” before storming out of the audito- rium in a huff. Neither Raf- fenburg nor Commissioner Dave Toler commented on the abrupt departure. The accusations cen- tered on plans to establish a county administrator posi- tion to oversee the county’s managerial functions. Raf- (Continued on page 4) Mixed bag reviewed, as Legislature hears gavel JoCo fire protection group ready to present findings By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Following several months of meetings and discussions, the Josephine County Fire Protection Committee is preparing to go public with its recom- mendations. The committee was formed by the Josephine County Board of Commis- sioners last year, and charged with establishing boundaries, standards and a rate mechanism for rural fire protection. Committee members finalized their rec- ommendations regarding standards, and submitted them to the board in early May. Now they eagerly await a response. County Counsel Steve Rich met with the commit- tee on Wednesday, June 27 in Grants Pass. Rich said that he is drafting a rewrite of the committee’s recom- mended policies, as well as an ordinance to enact them. Documents should be completed within the next two weeks, Rich said. A series of issues have complicated the process, including the fact that fran- chise agreements for private companies providing fire protection services are ex- tremely rare in the United States. Because of that, Rich said, there are few docu- ments available to use as examples of how such agree- ments should be drafted. Currently, private com- panies providing fire protec- tion in Josephine County face few regulations. That fact was part of what led to the committee’s formation, along with citizen demand. said county commission Chairman Jim Raffenburg. “We wouldn’t be doing all this if we didn’t think the people of the county wanted this,” Raffenburg said. “We’ve gotten lots and lots A 1932 FORD towing a custom trailer was selected Best of Show in the annual Cave Junction Lions Club car show in Jubilee Park on Saturday, June 30. With their rig are Val & Ken Brown and their dog, ‘Buddy,’ from Sanger, Calif. Additional photos on page 16; story with results on page 7. (Photo by Illinois Valley News) and lots of phone calls and e-mails over the last couple of years regarding the exist- ing system.” The city of Grants Pass continues to annex neighborhoods in its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) into city limits. Raffenburg said that those annexations have caused private fire pro- tection providers to raise fees charged to their rural customers. “Where that’s had an effect is people in the county’s Urban Growth Boundary Area,” he said. “When they were in the county and weren’t inside city limits, they didn’t pay city taxes and didn’t have fire protection. When they were annexed into the city, they started paying for all that. That means they didn’t need to pay a private pro- vider for that same service. “Certainly, that’s been part of the problem for the community-at-large. We’ve seen fewer homes being able to pay for that pool be- cause the cost per home is going up.” Raffenburg said that lack of standards and regula- tion for rural fire protection first became an issue around 1990. Since then, three com- mittees have formed to ex- amine the issues. (Continued on page 10) By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Although the final gavel for the 2007 Oregon Legis- lature fell Thursday, June 28, the potential effects of the laws passed won’t be immediately clear to the public. But local legislators now have the chance to re- flect on the last six months spent in Salem. Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass) Elected in November 2006, Maurer is a newcomer to the law-making process. His district encompasses most of Josephine County, including Illinois Valley. Republicans were in the minority in the House and Senate, which put them in a defensive posture for the entire session, Maurer said. “I think winning and losing is determined by which side of the aisle you’re sitting on,” he said. “If you’re sitting on the side of the aisle where you’re wanting an expanded role for government, you’ll con- sider this session as a sig- nificant victory.” “If you’re on the side of less government interven- tion and lower taxes, you’ll see this session as a signifi- cant loss.” Despite being a fresh- man legislator in the minor- ity party, Maurer said that he did have some successes this session. He sponsored a health- care access study bill, which aims to use technology to (Continued on page 10) REUNION MANIA 2007 was held Friday through Sun- day, June 29 and 30, and July 1 for Kerby Union High and Illinois Valley High School alumni. Coordinator Chris Leppert, with Keith Smith, was among those at- tending the annual dance in the Junction Inn. See pages 14 and 16 for additional photos. (Photo by Dale & Elaine Sandberg for Illinois Valley News)
