Grants Pass Now

Jeff Hyde was appointed to the city council five and a half years ago. His vast management experience is exactly what the city was looking for.

Jeff Hyde is the quintessential Oregonian. He was born in the Murphy Medical Center, seven miles from Grants Pass.

Redwood Elementary is his grade school alma mater. Grants Pass Jr. High (South Middle School) was up next, followed by a diploma in 1972 from Grants Pass High School. It was on to Southern Oregon State College (Southern Oregon University) where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in mathematics. Soon after graduation, he applied for a job at Evergreen Savings and Loan Association (Evergreen Bank) and never looked back. That was thirty-one years ago, last March. Hyde is now Executive Vice- President and Secretary of the bank, and active in Evergreen’s affordable housing company that’s devoted to helping out local families.

When you first meet Jeff and shake his hand, there’s a genuine feeling of friendship and trust. His eyes greet you with sincerity, warmth and graciousness. His presence is unmistakable, and he is very polite. He’s the sort of guy you would like to go fishing with or have over to the house for a bar-b. A definite asset to Evergreen Bank and the city of Grants Pass.

Councilor Hyde and wife Debra were blessed with two children. There are two grandchildren, an eleven year old granddaughter here in Grants Pass and a new- born grandson in Salem. Jeff told me how fortunate they were for him and his children to share some of the same teachers. “Another reason why Grants Pass is such a great place to live”, added the Councilor.

Jeff Hyde was appointed to the city council five and a half years ago. His vast management experience is exactly what the city was looking for. He was elected to the council for four more years, then decided not to run a year and a half ago. Recently, when an opening came up and the city was looking for proven assistance, they once again tapped Jeff on the shoulder. And, once again he obliged.

Councilor Hyde is well equipped for the job. His thirty-one years of banking provides professional management experience and knowledge in finance, real estate, personnel, budgeting and what it takes to be a team player.

THE PULSE OF THE CITY…

The city of Grants Pass is governed by an elected City Council and Mayor. (The Mayor will be interviewed in a later report) They are un-paid volunteers who hire a City Manager (See, Meet the City Manager, this section) to carry out their decisions and manage the City’s day-to-day operations.

The City Council Statement reads; “To represent all the citizens of Grants Pass by providing leadership, policies, ordinances and decisions necessary to meeting citizen’s needs and desires.”

Proposals for action are brought to the Council by residents, staff and councilors themselves. The Council usually reviews proposals at workshops, which are open to the public, before they are placed on the agenda of a regular Council meeting. The city Manager and staff work with the council to properly prepare these proposals, and then carry out the Council’s decisions. Complete information on the City, its Mayor and Councilors may be found at: www.grantspassoregon.gov .

Councilor Hyde explains, “It’s really a balance. You let the staff and manager work on the particulars and we work on what might be called, the ‘big picture’ and visions of where the community wants to go, keeping within operational laws and rules. We don’t want to get into the micro-management level, but you need to make sure people are accountable.”

GRANTS PASS NOW: Then, you obviously agree to a City Manager approach. How about the county? Could this be an answer to their woes?

COUNCILOR HYDE: “It’s much more functional, as you have a person trained to specifically handle government operations. The County Commissioners, who are good people trying to do a good job, were not government managers prior to their election and they could be out of office at the end of four years. Also, you have three Commissioners that have difficulty talking to one another, due to the discussion becoming an open meeting and perhaps politicized. It isn’t a good system for an exchange of ideas, because it’s official. Some people might say that we want to do things in the “dark”, and no, that isn’t it at all. We also have open meetings and that sort of thing that’s open to the public. A County Manager would be a good idea. This way they could get the job done, as they would not get caught in a Commissioner’s position. I feel that the commissioners have some real problems in their current situation. And, they are huge and real.”

GRANTS PASS NOW: I asked the Councilor abut his vision for Grants Pass.

COMMISSIONER HYDE: “There is always a need for more infrastructure, such as the Redwood Avenue changes, which we will want to repeat in other city areas. A Grants Pass city cost, for development, is up there among communities. And, this becomes the argument with developers. Who pays what, is what it’s about? Right now, the system development charges, which pay for transportation, sewers, streets, park acquisition and development and other development related costs, are charged at 100% of the costs to us.

An example of how it works would be; let’s say you are building a 1400 square foot home in the Redwood area. Your system development charges, which include permits and all that, would be approximately $18,000 which makes housing affordability a bit more difficult. And, you have the same approach to commercial and industrial development as well. If you are considering a fast food franchise, let’s say, you are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in system development charges. It’s a formula based on traffic-trips generated by the business. And, there is a dollar cost for each of those trips. We are high and we know it. Also, we don’t have that much land available for growth as other communities such as Medford. So, historically, land prices in our town run a bit higher, which means higher costs to developers.”

GRANTS PASS NOW: How do you see commercial growth?

COUNCILOR HYDE: “Right now, I don’t see commercial growth happening very rapidly, because, when I look through the community I see vacancies. If I was a developer today, I don’t think I would start a new building, unless I was an owner-operator, or had a special purpose. I think we should work with what we have right now, as we’re out a couple of years before there’ll probably be a need.”

GRANTS PASS NOW: Our town is growing, as any local can tell you while attempting to drive across town at 5 o’clock. Is the city ready for this?

COUNCILOR HYDE: “This is a desirable place to live. Anyone, who has paid attention to the demographics, can tell you, there is a huge transfer of wealth with the Baby Boomers who are reaching an age where they’re becoming more mobile and looking for an area to retire.

I met a nice young man from Florida the other day. He was waiting tables in a local restaurant. I asked him why he chose our town in which to live? He explained that his parents, who are reaching retirement age, traveled around the country and decided that Grants Pass was the place to live. They moved here and their son followed, as he wanted to be near his folks. And, Florida is quite a desirable retirement destination. A lot of New Yorkers have moved there. The point is, they chose here and they could have moved to, wherever. So, we have put policies in place and we’re aware of what the future could bring. You can’t deny what is to come. You have to address the problem of growth, which is ‘financial resources’. There is concern we are going to look like a small Los Angeles. We will grow, but due to area land holdings by state and federal governments in the 70% to 80% range and our land use laws, it just isn’t going to happen. We do have to upgrade our master plans to make sure they are current and our forecasts are as good as they can be. We’re working on it”

GRANTS PASS NOW: Among the many issues currently facing the city, what sticks out in your mind?

“One of my big concerns is the public safety issue coming before us on the November ballot. It’s most important to get that past by the voters this year. Please attend the workshops and find out all about it.”

Councilor Hyde had more, “Another issue that we have to address, in the past there has been significant friction between council members or council members and staff. I’m all for differences of opinion but do it in a respectful way and you have the best for the city going forth. If you spend your time focusing on personalities, instead of dealing with the issues, your workplace isn’t that attractive. If the work environment isn’t appropriate, the ability to attract the best possible people for the job could be in jeopardy. And, I want good people.”

Jeff had a few words about those who volunteer, “We have many good people in the volunteer pool that we can utilize in some capacities. This is a tremendous help to the city. It saves us a lot of money and we certainly appreciate it. For instance, I’m a volunteer on the Booster Club Committee to help raise money for Grants Pass High School. And, in two and a half years we raised over $600,000.00. There’s going to be a new track and there’s already a new multi-purpose girl’s softball field. These were paid by contributions and not one dollar of the school district’s money went into it.

The water bill for the high school football field was $8000 a year. Now its zero due to contributions paying for an artificial turf”, brags Councilor Hyde. “And, it’s used fifteen-fold what it was, prior to the change. The point is, the community was able to do it through contributions and not from a tax based budget. We still need help, so please contact us for more information.” -Mike Case

Councilor Jeff Hyde may be contacted:

Jeff Hyde, 101 N/W A St.

Grants Pass, OR 97526

(541) 659-3865

Email: mayorcouncil@grantspassoregon.gov

Grants Pass City Manager, David Frasher, is a member of the International City/County Management Association

First impressions, as they say, are most important. Visiting dignitaries, area citizens and those who do business with the city of Grants Pass will experience first hand, Webster’s definition of the term. Manager David Frasher (pronounced Fray-sher) is most able to “produce a vivid impression” upon those he meets. His memory is uncanny, his mind is sharp and you’re immediately greeted with a keen sense of professionalism and charm. The city has good reason to be proud of him. His resume is an interesting read.

Manager Frasher is a member of ICMA, the International City/County Management Association. He is a highly professional administrator that manages the inner workings and day-to-day operations of a municipality. This, he says, frees elected officials from these time consuming tasks and empowers them to provide leadership, determine what services should be provided to the town’s people, lobby the state legislature on the community’s behalf and communicate with constituents.

REPORTER: What is your professional view of the city’s form of government?

MANAGER FRASHER: “I believe it’s very effective and I might add the staff here at City Hall is exceptional, and I say that with reference to other places where I‘ve worked. Before I came here, I did my due diligence. The Daily Courier wasn’t online at the time, and there was a lot of needed information that I just couldn’t get. So I called other city managers around the state and two or three different times, unsolicited, they said to me that the executive staff group here has a state wide reputation of excellence. I was impressed with that but when I got here I found that it was all very true.”

The Manager continued, “We have had recent turnovers in some of those positions and are trying to replace them with people who are just as good as the ones we had. So that is a bit of a challenge right now. I’ve appointed four major department heads, a new city attorney, human resources director, a finance director and a new public works director. This has been a real challenge for me as I think the city council should expect good judgment from their manager. You always have a finite amount of finances and resources to recruit talent to your organization, I know these folks have a lot of responsibility and the work they do is going to be a reflection of that, if I made a good decision to begin with. I take that really seriously because if history is any indication, these folks will be with us for a long time. If you are in these positions of authority and here for a long time, you will certainly have a big impact on the community, and I want it to be positive.”

REPORTER: May I ask why you wanted to be a city manager?

MANAGER FRASHER: “I chose this job because I didn’t want to be bored and thought I could make a difference and make the world a better place in which to live on my own little scale and feel effective doing it.”

“The City Manager is really a supporting arm to the elected officials, they set the overall policy where they want us to go and it’s up to me to see that it is executed. I think a professional manager is really an empowering agent for the elected officials to be successful. When they say these are our top priorities, somebody is going to get a report card at the end of the year on whether we did those things, and that somebody is whoever that manager is. I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be to be an elected official and not have that sort of champion person that’s going to go out and make those things happen for you.”

REPORTER: A little bit about David Frasher?

MANAGER FRASHER: “I was a practicing attorney and a member of the Alaska Bar Association. I was in law enforcement for ten years in Independence, Missouri, which included time as a homicide detective on the Metro Squad and I worked in the crime lab with CSI for about a year. I’m a hiker and I recently took up playing the guitar. I have a passion for sports cars but, gas prices had a definite effect on that. I love to spend time with my family and friends. I have family in Kansas City that come out in the summers to visit and I have a couple of nieces and nephews I like to spoil.”

REPORTER: A current hot topic for Josephine County is the possible hiring of a professional manager. Would you advocate this approach?

MANAGER FRASHER: “Absolutely. A credentialed manager, such as an ICMA member, is needed to get the county back on track. I’ve met the County Commissioners over the past few years and find they are decent people trying to do a good job. What I see is good people trapped in a failing system. I think the structure of the system is holding them back. It isn’t a lack of desire, or necessarily a lack of commitment to the community or a lack of education. It doesn’t really matter how educated you are in a system sort of designed for conflict. It appears to be a system that kind of ties your hands.”

REPORTER: What’s the answer to the county’s financial woes?

MANAGER FRASHER: “The Task Force they appointed came up with some good recommendations which were well founded. Many of the things they recommended I would agree to if I was the county’s consultant. I think one of the things that holds the county back is that every decision by the Commissioners is highly politicized. And this is not by design of the personalities we talk about; it’s the fault of the system. You can take the best possible people and put them in that system and you’ll have confusion and conflict. My staff has trouble at times with one directive. With three, as in three county commissioners, it’s practically impossible even with all being highly qualified, if such was the case. They wouldn’t know where to go or how to get there. In other words, it would be chaotic by design, and that is the situation with the county.

Let’s say the city has 22 departments and their concern is who’s going to get the lion’s share of a particular resource or who’s supposed to get what program to work with. When the County Commissioners have that discussion, it’s in front of the media often on TV and there is all of these political overtones to it that hold back sometimes a very cogent and open discussion and maybe a thoughtful argument about what should be done. The city settles that stuff here in a professional way through analysis in meetings we have at staff level, so by the time it gets to Council, those terms and details have been addressed, Council can make a decision and we move on. To me, it’s far more efficient and it’s not laced with un-necessary political overtones, which I think is what’s happening at the county level.”

The Manager added, “Giving credit to the county system, there was a time in our history where this type of commissioner form of government made sense. Due to our contemporary complexities, the service levels and technicalities involved, the nature of the decisions that have to be made and the time in which you have to make them; the expectations of voters and our “customers” in general are all so drastically different than they were 100 years ago. The system just wasn’t designed to change with all of those changing dynamics. And this is why the ICMA was founded. As within the old system, especially in larger cities, abuse and corruption flourished with the “Strong Mayor” form of government. You would have relatives of elected leaders receiving contracts and top positions in government. The corruption in American history is well documented and inspired the entire movement toward professional city managers to reduce that kind of stuff and restore some credibility to government operations.”

REPORTER: Could the current County system be reformed or repaired?

MANAGER FRASHER: “I don’t believe the current system is fixable in its current form.

Some of the suggestions by the County Task Force, such as increase the number of Commissioners to 5 or 7 or more are a good idea this makes sense from another perspective, as well. We have 9 elected officials in Grants Pass and about 34,000 citizens. The county has a population of about 82,000 and only 3 officials. So, there is much less diversity and representation. The increase of commissioners will assist with political issues too, as you have more voices to advocate the cause and explain to the constituency. During the last proposed county levy there were only 3 officials to educate the public. This was in addition to running the day to day operations. I don’t believe there is a chance of succeeding within that environment. It isn’t humanly possible.”

REPORTER: What will it take?

MANAGER FRASHER: “At least 5 commissioners and a qualified professional county manager that they are willing to empower. This could lead to a more stabilized government and in turn help our economic development efforts because any investor who is risking dollars within a community will want to know the political and operational stability of the environment in which they are investing? The county has some of these factors and yet the city is trying to attract positive investors to the community as part of our economic development initiatives, sometimes it’s challenging. The more stable our area, the more attractive we are to investors. We want to work with the county and yet I have to be careful as I don’t want to come across as all-knowing and have the magical answer. It’s going to be a difficult challenge for the County Commissioners, no matter, and I want to respect their right and the voters.”

REPORTER: How do city and county government operations compare?

MANAGER FRASHER: “Our offices are about 200 feet apart. We have access to the same talent pool, the same education system, the same tax base, many of the same land use regulations and state statutes, the same street system, water system, transportation and, the same economic development opportunities. So these two organizations have all of those things in common yet when you look at the fiscal and financial stability and the long term sustainability of operations, the difference between the two government entities is like day and night. Now, why is that? Is it just because one received “timber receipts” all of these years or some sort of windfall from a piece of legislation? That’s part of it, certainly. But, I would like to think if it had the right structure, somebody would have been thinking that this current government structure isn’t sustainable and needs to be redesigned to be less political and more professional. This would have lead to a different result because we have a very different result in the city structure.”

REPORTER: Funding the county operations is the big picture today. How should it be accomplished? Is the sales tax (a preset percentage tax charged on goods you purchase, usually exempting food, drugs and big ticket items) idea a workable one?

MANAGER FRASHER: “Sales tax would have to be small enough so you wouldn’t drive to a neighboring town for a big ticket item. Or those items would have to be, in some way, exempted. The most effective financing streams for any government are always those, as in a business, utilizing diversity. The more diversity you have within the finance structure the better off you are. A sales tax, as a principal, especially if it’s a modest amount is a good approach as far as stabilizing the system they are looking at. The difficulty with a sales tax is that it should be at least on a regional level and better yet on a state level. If you’re going to do a sales tax, the best possible scenario I think, would be a state-wide amount. Eventually, Oregon will probably be forced into it as when we compete with neighboring states, we are paying that tax. We are dealing with it. When we are not charging the same thing, we are also subsidizing our visitors, to some extent. And tourism is one of the fastest growing components of our local economy. I have family that comes in from Missouri. When we go out to eat and it’s time to pay the bill, they are dumbfounded when they don’t see a sales tax at all, even 2 or 3%. They are used to seeing that. They wouldn’t object. They do come here in big numbers in the summer and have a big impact on the service delivery. You and I are paying our share and they are not.

To rely on a straight sales tax or just a straight property tax can have social ill consequences. That’s why I think a common sense balance lies somewhere between those two funding mechanisms. It makes more sense as a matter of social policy and makes more sense from a professional business perspective.”

REPORTER: Any thoughts on Sheriff Gilbertson’s District Tax idea? (See Meet Sheriff Gilbertson in this section)

MANAGER FRASHER: “I think that may be a viable approach and I expect Grants Pass voters would be more likely to support something if they feel they are not paying twice and I think the idea of having a jail district separate from rural patrols will give people a choice. It will take an educational process but I think it will be more supportive by Grants Pass citizens. They want a safe environment and are willing to pay for it.”

REPORTER: You have been a resident of Grants Pass and Josephine County for over two years now. What do you have to say about our corner of the world?

MANAGER FRASHER: “I love it…..its people…..the natural beauty and ‘It’s The Climate.’”

You may reach the Grants Pass City Manager: David Frasher, City Manager

101 NW A Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526.

Tel: (541) 474-6360 Email: dfrasher@grantspassoregon.gov -Mike Case

Prior to Campaign’08, Grants Pass Now started a series of articles called “Meet the Commissioners.” This series was to conclude with a non-partisan, non-controversial article with Jim Raffenburg. Though Commissioner Raffenburg did not respond to our article request, he did submit content to Dale Matthews for Campaign’08. To view this content, please click on the “Jim Raffenburg” link in the Campaign’08 menu.

Meet Dwight Ellis
Vice Chairperson of the Josephine County
Board of Commissioners

Commissioner Ellis’s office gives an informative insight into the “Boards” Vice Chairman. His position as County Commissioner, which he has held for going on four years is non-partisan, but he wants it known that he is a registered Republican. His office wall and desk display photos of family and friends, commendations, awards, memorabilia, odds and ends, all of which he is certainly proud of. Definitely all Oregon, he is a local boy born and raised, and very much a patriot. His wife Bonnie is from Grants Pass and a true asset to her husband. They brought four children into this world, three of which live in the Grants Pass area and there are four grandchildren to brag about. In the Commissioner’s quite interesting background, there is much to be proud of.

Dwight Ellis is highly educated and received his Business Management Masters Degree by attending night school. Including school time, he spent 24 years in the Air Force, is an Air Force Academy Alumnus and served our country as a U.S. Air Force Officer and jet jockey in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war. He flew eighty-two combat missions, all into Cambodia. After that hot tour, he was stationed in England for three years, which he enjoyed. His assignment there was rather unique in that it included sitting “nuclear alert”. I asked the Commissioner to explain, “We carried one 60 kiloton bomb on our two-seater F-4 Phantom jet, which isn’t that big in terms of today’s nuclear devices. It had the capacity to probably wipe out a smaller air field. Our mission, if called upon, was to fly as far into the Soviet Union as we could, drop our cargo and get out. We were virtually on our own after the bomb was dropped. The idea is a maneuver where you simply try to make your way back to the coast line or something like that and hopefully gain assistance in reaching home base. And, you know, they never did tell us if we would survive the bomb blast. But, as luck would have it, we didn’t have to drop the bomb and relations improved with the Soviet Union.”

Dwight Ellis has been married for 37 years to his brother’s wife’s sister. Still with me? Bonnie Ellis is from Grants Pass and a definite asset to her husband. Commissioner Ellis is up for re-election this year and hoped to make it on the primary ballot but now doubts it will happen due to five hopeful contenders seeking his job.REPORTER: When you decided to seek the commissioner’s position four years ago, what was your intent?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “The idea was to eliminate some of the ‘good ol’ boy’ stuff that the voters believed was going on and tighten up the operation. There were some pretty good benefits and perks going on at that time that we have since changed.” said Ellis.

REPORTER: My follow up question was a natural. Was there any good ol’ boy stuff going on?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “I think some of the department heads had been here for thirty years, or so and pretty much built an empire. Most of those have since retired and replaced with younger folks. We have cut county government from 650 people over three years down to just over 400 today. We made some major cuts and I feel it’s better over all for county government operations because we see timber money leaving us and the Fed’s ’safety net’ looks like it might not be re-authorized for another year, but we’re not sure yet. We probably won’t hear about that until June or July. It looks like we’ll be able to get through this year due to money saved over the past three years. And, we’ll set up the new budget based on not receiving the Fed safety net money,” explained Ellis.

REPORTER: I assume this is the most important issue facing the commissioners today?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “Yes, I think it’s our public safety and what we’ll be able to provide if we don’t get the re-authorization from the Feds. What will Public Safety be able to accomplish if we don’t receive those general funds? Public safety includes the sheriff’s operation, jail, the district attorney’s office, the criminal justice system, our juvenile justice system and we are mandated to provide court security.” The commissioner tells of a new understanding, “We are finding out right now that we might not have to have a jail. But, the jail building was built by a bond and we’re still paying that off. If we don’t receive financial operations assistance from whatever source, be it the taxpayers or the federal government, we might have to contract our prisoners out to other jails and shut our jail building down. It may come to this.”

REPORTER: Tell us about the long term funding committee?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “Right now, we have a long term funding committee looking into various options available to us to raise needed funds for our criminal justice system and will make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners no later than April 15th.”

REPORTER: What is the current condition of the county

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “It’s better now than it has been due to programs within some county operations that can charge fees or increase fees and thereby become self-sufficient. They don’t have to depend upon the general fund for their programs. In addition, we’ve been able to reduce the amount of employees and personnel expenses. We increased fees in Parks, the Planning Department, County Clerk’s Office and others so that they too become self-sufficient and not reliant upon the general fund. However, that hasn’t made up the approximately $12 million that we usually get for the federal safety net funding, so that’s the big nut we’re trying to crack right now.

REPORTER: How do we get the needed funds? What method?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “There are two ways to get the money. One we’re still working on is to pressure the U.S. Congress to re-new the safety net (O&C Funds). If that doesn’t happen, the second option is to sue the Federal Government because there is a law on the books that dates back to 1937 that says the O&C (Oregon & California Railroad) lands timber, which makes up a major part of our county, has to be cut in a sustainable manner and that the Federal Government will support local rural economies with money that is gleaned off of those timberlands.

REPORTER: If the government stipend is discontinued, will the Commissioners propose a tax?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “We have nothing on the May ballot, right now. We’re waiting for the long term committee’s results. We have looked at fourteen different money sources including an add-on tax to vehicle registration. But the Oregon Constitution says that money would have to be used for roads within the county and cannot go towards the justice system, law enforcement or anything else. Everything we looked into has a specific purpose by state law. We explored a “bed tax” (hotel/motel) for the county but found that 70% of the collection has to go for visitor marketing purposes. A portion of the remaining 30% could be used for administration or the criminal justice system, but would be a small amount. We even looked into charging aggregate fees for the river rock that is taken out of our rivers and crushed. That collection would have to benefit county roads, only. We looked into increasing the gas tax by two or three cents, but once again that would only benefit our roads.”

“We are looking into a “consumption tax” or sales tax, but I feel that would only pass the county voters if it replaced something else such as the property tax. I’m not personally in favor of a sales tax because businesses are going to fight it. And, I feel it will send local people out of the county to buy their cars, RV’s and other major ticket items. They’re going to go where they don’t have to pay that tax. So basically, in my mind, it boils down to either a short term levy until we can get this safety net law straightened out with the Federal Government, or the sheriff has come up with a district tax idea. The idea has already passed in Deschutes County and he would like to get it passed here as it would guarantee his department’s long term funding. (Look for Sheriff Gilbertson’s “district” idea in grantspassnow.com). The state is currently looking at our tax system, but it will take at least two years and possibly up to six years before they could make the change.”

“We (Commissioners) are discussing approaching the state about adding on a percentage to beer and wine sales. I’m not sure how much that would bring to the county coffers and it is a state legislative issue so they would have to pass it in order for us to initiate it. The beer and wine industry will fight this proposal tooth and nail. So, every turn we have taken to generate county operational funds has run into some sort of road block.”

REPORTER: As a Josephine County Commissioner, your goal is…..?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “To keep the citizens of Josephine County safe. My main goal is to make sure everyone is safe and if someone does perpetrate a crime we have someplace to put them. If the judge says lock them up, we can accommodate and if the judge says they need some kind of educational training we are also able to provide that. But, right now we do not have the money to support our criminal justice system. If you interview the sheriff or district attorney, they will tell you that if they don’t get some sort of funding, they cannot assure public safety.

REPORTER: How do you wake the town and tell the people?

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “It’s an educational process. Citizens should go to town hall meetings. I noticed a lot of familiar faces at the meetings. The same people are showing up this year as last year and there isn’t very many of them. We appreciate these people; we just want to reach more. We have to get the people talking about the funding problem. I feel the sheriff’s concerns are valid in that he will not be able to provide adequate safety that he would otherwise be able to provide with appropriate funding.”

REPORTER: You are up for re-election this year. Why should we re-elect you??

COMMISSIONER ELLIS: “I feel I have been accessible to the people with an open door policy. If I’m not busy and someone shows up to chat, that’s fine. If you call me, I’ll answer the phone. I don’t have an ‘attack dog’ secretary out front that guards the door keeping me from the people. I also keep an open mind on issues. If I have made a decision and later thought about it or the situation has changed or I received further information on a particular issue, I’m not afraid to change my mind if it’s for the betterment of the county. You shouldn’t let egos get in the way of decision making and I try to do that and stay out of the way of arguments that take place in the board room. If I’m going to join in I try to make sure whatever I’m saying adds to the constructive part of the conversation.

I try to do the best possible job and I hope the voters see that. If you want me I’ll do my best, again.” -Mike Case

Commissioner Ellis may be reached:
Commissioner Dwight Ellis
500 N/W 6th St. Dept. 6
Grants Pass, OR 97526
Telephone: (541) 474-5221

Email: dellis@co.josephine.or.us

Meet Dave Toler
Josephine County Board of Commissioners

As he puts it, Dave Toler is the new kid on the block elected as one of three commissioners to a four-year term two years ago by the good citizens of Josephine County. Dave is a pleasant and straight forward kind of guy. His smile reaches you and he speaks direct with a touch of eloquence. You have the feeling he’s genuinely interested in the conversation and his ability to gain your immediate trust is extraordinary. The Commissioner displays a sincere passion, as well as reason, for what he feels is best for the county and its people.

Dave, who is now single, was born into a military family and traveled throughout his young life spending a lot of time in the traditional South. He came to our beautiful section of the Earth’s surface about twenty-five years ago as a forest service employee and raised his family on fourteen acres of Illinois Valley land, where he resides today. Approximately twelve years have past since he switched to non-profit administration. I asked the Commissioner, “If someone had mentioned when you first arrived in Josephine County, that you were predestined to become a member of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners, what would you have said? “You must be kidding! By the way, what does a County Commissioner do, anyhow?” A keen sense of humor has to be on a future commissioner’s job prerequisite list.

Q&A TIME-

REPORTER: “What would you say is most important to the County Commissioners, today?”
COMMISSIONER TOLER: “Gaining the confidence of our voters.” Toler explained, “I have two measuring sticks for citizen confidence in county government. One is a survey the city of Grants Pass conducts each year. The results of this survey indicate that confidence in county government is significantly lower than other local governments. But, the most important measure is the citizens’ willingness to support local services. And, that is where the county has had serious problems for decades.”

The Commissioner continued, “While Grants Pass citizens enjoy quality services day in and day out while support for county government has been rejected repeatedly for over ten years, now. So, what is it that makes Grants Pass citizens support city government on a regular basis and reject support for the county, such as jails, prosecution of criminals, animal control and libraries to name just a few? I’m convinced it is an inherent flaw in the county’s management structure. I believe it to be the main problem.”

Commissioner Toler looked directly into my eyes, assuring his point, “Unlike city government, the everyday management of county government can be politicized media events rather than routine management decisions. The micro-management of the county on the front page tends to shake citizens confidence in county government.” Toler finalized, “The solution is to take three politicians out of daily management, hire one professional manager and enable the commissioners to focus on governing the county.”

REPORTER: “What is the current condition of our county law enforcement and criminal justice system?”
COMMISSIONER TOLER: “We are about to lose two thirds of our county general fund budget. Most of that goes to fund our criminal justice system. We are, in effect, about to lose the system. And, that is an issue every person should be concerned about. Businesses, the elderly, families, everyone should be extremely concerned over what not having a criminal justice system will mean for them. It doesn’t matter if you live in the city of Grants Pass or out of it, it’s going to effect you similarly.”

Toler continued, “The argument can be made that because the city pays their own patrol they will be much safer than those outside the city limits should this scenario play out. I disagree with that. I feel for the fine men and women who serve the Grants Pass Police Department who will be patrolling in a situation where there’ll be no prosecution of the vast majority of crimes in this county, and there will be no jail space in which to lodge the offenders for prosecution.” The Commissioner raised both open hands over his head, “In effect what’s it going to be like? We can’t intervene on crime when the criminals all know that all you’re going to do is drive them to the jail parking lot and let them go.”

REPORTER: “Operational funds will be needed. What should the county do?”
COMMISSIONER TOLER: “The other issue that’s just as important, if not more important, is that in order for us to replace the $12 million plus dollars the county received from the Federal Government, we’re going to have to depend on the citizens of Josephine County to help pay for county operations. The needed funds will probably not be coming from Washington, DC any longer. If it does, it’s only going to be for another year or two. The bottom line is that some time out, they are not going to pay our bills any more. So, if we have to come to our citizens for that money, they have to have confidence in county government. This is why I think this issue, in some ways, looms larger than the funding issue.”

The Commissioner asks, “How do we gain confidence from the county citizens to open up their checkbooks, so to speak, and assure that we have adequate criminal justice in Josephine County? I believe the key to doing this is through professional management. I think a long time flaw in county government, the reason why county government has not for decades enjoyed very much confidence from its citizens, is because you have three lay people (elected commissioners) who basically manage the day to day operation of this $105 Million business (Josephine county government) in the 21st century. It is simply not the way to manage a large organization. What successful corporation would just say OK, who do you like the best? No resume, no experience needed. It’s just who do you like the looks of, or whatever, the most? There is that problem and the bigger issue is, how many corporations would hire three of them to make decisions that one should be making? And, that is where the crux of the issue really lies. Right now, everyday management decisions in this county are being made by a collective of three. This is a structural issue, not one of competence.” The Commissioner explains in a parody, ” If we place three of France’s best chefs in my kitchen to cook dinner, my prediction is that’s going to cost me three times more than it should and will probably take longer for the dinner to be made. And, they know the best way to do it. So, it isn’t a competency issue at all, it’s structural. Consequently, I believe we’re spending more money doing it this way.”

Toler continues,”The citizens of Josephine County are paying its Board of Commissioners over $300,000 per year in salaries and benefits to make a decision where you could spend about half for a manager that will give us professional results. But, way more important to me, is gaining the confidence of the citizens due to this professional watching the day to day management of the store. The biggest argument I hear about this is, ‘oh, you’re removing management decisions from the democratic process’. And, my answer is, yes you are absolutely right. This has been the problem all along.”

“The majority of persons opposing the professional manager approach to running a government entity is a person who has a very different measuring stick of successful government from most citizens. It seems a government that does nothing is a successful government to them.” The Commissioner sat straight in his chair, “It’s their mentality, they don’t want to pay any more taxes, even if we lose the criminal justice system. What they are saying is, ‘we don’t really want you to be more efficient, we don’t really want this to be an effective government because an effective government would gain the confidence of the populace and that would mean the passage of some sort of tax that I don’t want to pay.’

Toler sums it up, “Grants Pass residents are about 40% of the county population. These citizens have consistently rated county government below the city. Actually, they have rated the county below all other government entities such as school districts, etc. They show confidence in their own city. The product of that is my big measuring stick. They have enough confidence in their city government to pay taxes that are required for good services. To me, that’s what local government is, or should be. The county, by state statute, shall provide some of their services, such as the jail, criminal prosecution, public health, restaurant inspection, etc. This of course means if you live in the city or county you rely on those services. The difference is, one entity provides, the other does not. Like a tale of two cities. So, for those who really want to meet that goal for the county, I’m all ears. Or, if they say continue doing it the way we are doing it, now? Show me how that’s going to work?

REPORTER: “Now, the bottom line. How do we pay for these needed services?”
COMMISSIONER TOLER: “I know that a professional manager can save the county money. And, this would allow the commissioners to do the job they were elected to do. And, that is to govern. I advocate a sales tax as the method to raise county operating funds. This would absolutely be capped, not allowing any tax increase without the voter’s consent. I’m suggesting one and a half percent (1 1/2%). With this we can replace that lost $12 Million and pay 5 % of the collection to businesses for handling costs and 8% to the county for monitoring, enforcement and accounting. The ballot would read, ‘This is capped at 1 1/2 % and cannot be increased except by a vote of the citizens.” This is the way to go.

REPORTER: “What is Dave Toler’s goal as commissioner of Josephine County?”
COMMISSIONER TOLER: “By far, our mission is to provide our citizens with the basic services that all American citizens need in the 21st century. That is primarily a good criminal justice system, animal control, public health services, decent roads and parks, libraries, the very basics. We’re not sure we can provide that next year. And, that is a measuring stick that falls far short of reaching our mission’s goal. The citizens of Josephine County have got to get by the debate on county services. We have to have it. We will do it as cheaply as we can, as efficiently as we can, but we have to do it, we all need it. It’s decision time. Let’s figure out together how we’re going to pay for it.”

You can reach Commissioner Toler at the Josephine County Courthouse, 500 N/W 6th St., Grants Pass, OR 97526. Call (541) 474-5221 or email: dtoler@co.josephine.or.us -Mike Case

MEET JOSEPHINE COUNTY SHERIFF, GIL GILBERTSON.
A BUSY MAN WITH A DEFINITE MISSION.

“Gil” is not a big man in stature. If you have never met him, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. First off, he is unassuming, definitely unlike the top cops you see on the plasma. His smile is genuine and his hand shake is firm. The Sheriffs office is clean, but not pretentious in any sense of the word. His desk is busy with documents, memos and letters. John Wayne’s picture is proudly displayed over the chief’s desk displaying a definite look of approval.

The Sheriff’s day starts very early. In country vernacular, before the rooster crows. A day in the life of JoCo’s Sheriff is not that much different than some other small county sheriffs, except he does it with an extremely narrow budget. Due to lack of county funds and the recent loss of about five department positions, you’ll find Gilbertson’s hands on many day-to-day duties that most chiefs are able to delegate to a subordinate, thereby allowing more time for the department head to take on more important law enforcement issues.

“Back in the year 2000, we had a total of 118 deputies and the county was working quite well, in terms of law enforcement. Since then we have been whittled down to just 86 positions and I just cut 5 more the other day,” complained the frustrated sheriff. “Everything we do for the county’s safety is based upon the personnel we have. The more people we have the more service we can provide.” Gilbertson continues,” Back in1981, Josephine County decided they needed 25 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property evaluation to operate the county government. In 1995, it was decided they needed 33 cents per thousand dollars of property evaluation to run the libraries. In 1997, Measure 50 permanently fixed those two amounts together at 58 cents per thousand.”

Gilbertson explained that JoCo’s growing population actually pays $52 Million dollars in taxes per year which for most part goes to the state of Oregon. He went on to explain, “What’s left over, which amounts to about 6% or $3 Million, is to operate our county government.” The sheriff’s office gets about 60% of that, or $1.8 Million. The jail alone cost taxpayers over $4 Million to keep open.” Where does the needed funds come from? Gilbertson said his office did some search and rescue work by requesting over a million dollars in grant monies to help defray operational costs, but has received only $143,000 to date. “These are temporary funds, with no assurances, and certainly not the way to run a railroad or a sheriff’s office. “And,” he added, “O&C money is a thing of the past”.

Gilbertson said his office is down to 81 positions due to cut backs and trained personnel leaving. “Since, 1990, our department has gone through 98 people. Training costs average approximately $100,000 per person. By the time you recruit, do the necessary testing, finish their training, bring them home, suit them up, go through their field officers program, it all takes about 18 months. What we turned into is a training facility for other law enforcement agencies. Fourteen people have left the sheriff’s department to work for the city”, complained Gilbertson… “People left due to not knowing if they will keep their jobs with the county?” The sheriff was asked to have the new recruits sign a contract. “It isn’t legal”, Gilbertson explained.
He said the Sheriff’s Association is working on that, but as of now, the contract idea can’t be enforced.

The Sheriff explains the results of too few deputies and a weaker law enforcement agency; “We either have slow or no response to traffic accidents and drugs is a serious problem, we issue less traffic tickets, and fewer warnings. We are overwhelmed with calls for service. Crime statistics are under reported, due to our lack of response. I have 700 cases since 2007 that haven’t been entered into our computers. We just don’t have the personnel to do it. Crime is much worse in Josephine County than is reported. Accidents are increasing. Alarms, burglaries and property crimes have increased dramatically. Meth lab reports are down, but we lost 32 deputies about the same time as meth lab reports were decreasing. We need deputies to get out there and do the research.”

Gilbertson says that weak law enforcement means insurance rates could go up, property values could come down, community growth stagnates, and the area becomes a magnate for criminals. “We have intercepted telephone calls and letters from our inmates inviting their friends to come to Josephine County as there is no law enforcement. That should scare a lot of people. It does us”, warned the sheriff. “We need pro-active law enforcement”, claims Gilbertson.

Sheriff Gilbertson’s program is to engage pro-active law enforcement tactics obtained through directed patrols based on analysis of collected data, which means you identify the problems through forecasting and analysis. He says, you can forecast what your crime is going to be, where it’s going to be and who’s doing it. The sheriff says they are now targeting and going after those issues as best as they can and seeing some results using this approach. Sheriff Gilbertson states, “If we only react to crime, we’re never going to get there. If we can aggressively go after crime, once we identify the area, the problem, the people and the time, we could target those things and that throws the bad guys off. We are engaged in this activity now and it’s showing positive results. We need funds to hire the people, and keep; them, to make this the success it can be. If we don’t get additional funding by July 1, 2010, we’ll have to close our doors. We’re going to have to. $3 Million can not run this county. This is a statewide issue. There are 18 counties in the same situation.”

If you would like more information on the current financial problems of concern to the sheriff’s department, or more information on the sheriff’s plan of pro-active law enforcement, please call the Sheriff’s Office at (541) 474-5123.

Gilbertson’s energy seems endless. He appears in complete control of his office and its activities, and is considerate of his people. I saw him again a couple of days after our interview at the Meth Summit in Grants Pass and he knew me from Adam. He probably never forgets a face?
I drove very carefully back home to Williams. -Mike Case

Boy Scout Troop 77 retiring worn flags at Veteran’s Day Service in Merlin.

As the Young Marine members of Josephine County raised our nation’s symbol high into the air, a feeling of peace settled over the crowd as our star-spangled banner flapped true and proud in the breeze. Just a glance of the red, white, and blue brings many thoughts of freedom and we must pay tribute for all the men and women who served and continue to serve our country, for without them the American dream would not be possible.

This year’s Veteran’s Day service was held at the Merlin Community Park at the Veteran’s Walk of Honor. The master of ceremonies, Don Monette, introduced the recent addition of veteran’s names to the Walk of Honor. A prayer and a talk about patriotism was given by Pastor Thomas W. Hirsh of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

All gathered were brought together as one as Mel Kerber led rousing renditions of our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” “God Bless American,” and “America the Beautiful,” followed by a speech of patriotism by Carl Wilson.

The day’s agenda concluded as boy scouts from Troop 77 retired worn flags previously used at Merlin Community Park. Ceremonies for burning flags that are worn or faded are common practice for proper disposal, and this ceremony was conducted by scout master Grindy.

Many community members came to the monument to pay their respects to our soldiers and thank them for our freedoms, which is exactly what this monument was designed to do. The Veteran’s Walk of Honor was designed in 2003 by George Mullen of the Community Park Board and serves its purpose as a reminder of all the brave men and women who gave so much for our liberties. The monument was dedicated in 2005 and Veteran’s Day services will be held each year at the park. The columns are decorated with many names of honorable veterans who have a connection with Josephine County.

As another year rolls by, let us remember and embrace our freedoms which Americans have enjoyed for over two centuries. If you would like more information or would like to make a contribution, please visit merlincommunitypark.org.