Camp Sherman deputy position hinges on vote

Camp Sherman will likely have to patch together funding to keep Deputy Dave Blann on the job as resident deputy.

Jefferson County has allocated $30,000 of the $52,500 needed to fully fund the position for fiscal year 1998-99.

County Public Works will kick in $10,000 because Blann plows Camp Sherman's county roads in winter. The Forest Service will provide $5,000 for county law enforcement presence in local forest areas. Willamette Industries supplies another $1,200 for support of protection in lumbering areas.

The last piece in the puzzle depends on passage of a serial levy for Road District 18 (Camp Sherman area) on the May 19 ballot. The Road District 18 Committee has voted to set aside $10,000 as a reserve to help fund the Deputy Sheriff's position since Blann will be involved with snow plowing Road District 18 roads.

It appears that $5,000 to $6,000 dollars of this reserve would be needed to complete funding for the position. The funds would only be available if the serial levy passes.

The six-member Jefferson County budget committee approved the 1998-99 budget on Thursday, April 23. The $15 million budget must now be adopted by the County Commissioners before June 30.

The three Jefferson County Commissioners, Bill Bellamy, Janet Brown and Jodi Eagan serve on the budget committee.

The deputies duties will be modified this year. The Camp Sherman deputy will no longer have marine patrol duties at Suttle Lake. Deschutes County will take charge of that responsibility.

Jefferson County Sheriff Jack Jones has been supportive of Camp Sherman's interests in the ongoing budget deliberations. He said that "marine patrol was taking too much time away from other law enforcement duties in the Camp Sherman region."

Chan Cathcart, Camp Sherman resident and Road District 18 committee member, said after the meeting, "It looks like pretty solid support for the Deputy Sheriff's job right now but the Road 18 vote is very important."