Sheriff pushes for levy at meeting

Intense emotions charged the air Monday night, April 19, as Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles campaigned for a tax increase for his department at a town hall meeting in Sisters.

In the middle of the meeting, Sheriff Stiles asked which of the six deputies in the room received letters indicating they will be laid off if the sheriff's levy does not pass in May. Four deputies raised their hands.

Mark Eggert, a deputy for the Sisters Sheriff's department, who has a wife, a house mortgage, and three kids between ages eight and 14, was one of those who raised their hands.

"I don't know what I'll do (if the levy doesn't pass)," Eggert told The Nugget. "I would love to stay with this department. I originally planned to just wait (to see if the levy would pass again in September), but I have a family to take care of and I don't know if that will be feasible. Transferring would be one of my last options. I really like the area and the department, but I have to make house payments. But I believe it will pass. I'm very hopeful it will pass."

Eggert's job, as well as those of 111 other Sisters-based employees, are dependent upon the passing of a three-year levy. The levy will increase taxes 5 percent for urban residents to 82 cents per $1,000 of assessed value (up from 78 cents) and increase taxes 43 percent for rural residents to $1.60 per AV (up from $1.12).

At that rate, a rural resident would pay $48 more or $4 per month more in taxes for a house with an assessed value of $100,000. A homeowner would pay an additional $12 per month for a house worth $300,000.

If passed, the levy will pay for more than 60 percent of the sheriff's $18.1 million budget. If it fails, it will operate on $6.1 million.

Stiles said he wants everyone to understand that revenue is necessary to maintain the current level of staffing and to ensure public safety.

"There is no hidden pot of money," Stiles said. "No one else is going to pay for it."

In addition, James Ross, business manager for the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office gave a matter-of-fact presentation of an extensive list of sheriff's services, which he said will be dropped if the levy does not pass. Among those are: response to state and county highway accidents, officer back-up for emergency calls, and wildfire emergency patrol. The adult jail staff will drop to 35 from 68 and 120 inmates will be released, Ross said.

By the end of the meeting skepticism about the levy appeared to fade and no visitor voiced opposition. Indeed, resident Frank Dickenson became an avid convert.

"Before I came here tonight, I was against this, but since I've been here, I've had the opportunity to have many things cleared up," Dickenson told the sheriff. "Now, I am 100 percent for it and I hope you can get this message out to the public."

Dickenson's response was not new to Stiles.

"I've had a lot of positive feedback, particularly at the town hall meetings," Stiles told The Nugget. "In the beginning, there are many questions about why this and why that and at the end, it is almost unanimous 'we didn't know that!'"

Steve Mathews, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Tollgate homeowners association, said at the beginning of the meeting that he wants to see more officers patrolling Tollgate to monitor its speeding problem. At the end of the meeting, he told The Nugget he is confident the department will address the problem and he said he fully supports the proposed levy.

County Commissioner, Dennis Luke voiced his desire to see the sheriff's department obtain a permanent tax district.

"We're committed to do the permanent taxing in 2006," Luke said.