News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Jefferson County is short $200,000 in cash carry over in the current years' budget and faces a loss of approximately $600,000 in general fund revenue for 97-98 due to the mandates of Measure 47.
The bad news was delivered to the Camp Sherman community on February 10.
Camp Sherman residents now have three weeks to decide on alternatives for replacing the garbage transfer site service, currently costing Jefferson County close to $30,000.
One provision of Measure 47 stipulates that taxing entities may not raise fees or increase charges to the citizens as a result of loss of revenue. Therefore, Jefferson County must either continue to fund the site or cut service.
The Board of Commissioners will hold a hearing Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m at the community hall to take input from the community about to the garbage issue.
Community members had strong words about the proposal of Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Throop to cut the Camp Sherman resident deputy program.
They pointed out there were safety concerns with a delayed response time from Madras to the tourist community, whose numbers can swell to well beyond 10,000 on summer weekends.
Of both cuts, residents said that Camp Sherman contributes $156,000 in property taxes and $67,000 in room tax revenues to the county. They complained that they should not have both of their county programs slashed by 100 percent when the commissioners had asked its department heads to reduce their budget for 1997-98 by only 20 percent.
The commissioners appeared receptive to a Camp Sherman community request that they designate a liaison position for Camp Sherman and submit the cost-saving proposal to the Jefferson County budget committee.
The position, similar to the one the community successfully created in 1981, would consolidate county services into one position forplowing snow, repairing damaged road signs, cleaning out culverts, monitoring a garbage transfer site if the community funds one, providing marine patrol on Suttle Lake, and responding to law enforcement calls on both county and forest land within the Camp Sherman area.
A combination of county and outside revenue sources would fund the position.
A town meeting will be held Thursday, February 20, at 7 p.m. at the Camp Sherman community hall to discuss both the garbage service and reconfiguration of the resident deputy program.
A community proposal is scheduled to be reviewed by the county budget committee March 3, at 1 p.m. in Madras.
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