Josephine County (JO CO) Justice System (JS) & Public Safety Services (PSS) Tax Levies

The 2012 expiration of federal funding in JO CO, used mostly for public safety services, resulted in JO CO proposing two tax levies as solutions. They both failed.

1. May 2012 JO CO-wide Measure 17 - 43, Criminal Justice System Operations Four Year Local Option Tax (i.e., $1.99 per $1,000 of assessed value), failed 57 - 43 percent.

2. May 2013 JO CO-wide Measure 17 - 49, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Three Year Local Option Tax (i.e., $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed value), failed 51 - 49 percent.

Many believe that the 2013 “nay” vote was not necessarily a vote of whether citizens supported the JS&PSS, but more a view of trusting government and a vote on the specific measure, including its unknowns.

Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society The name of the association is the Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society (Hugo Neighborhood and/or “HUNAHS”). The use of “HUNAHS” is a way to use the magic vowel ‘U’ in Hugo so we can have our own county-wide catchword. It is pronounced like you say Hugo, HU-NAHS.

The association is perpetual.

The Hugo Neighborhood had its roots in the Oregon Legislature’s 1973 Senate Bill 100 and birth as the Hugo Citizen Advisory Committee in January 1976. Seventeen years later in 1993 it became the Hugo Neighborhood Association, and in 2000 it reorganized into the Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society. These three associations were the same evolving organization with the primary purpose of monitoring land use applications to assure local land laws were correctly applied. The Hugo Neighborhood is a land use association with a vital interest in the history of its land and people as so reflected in its 2000 evolution into a neighborhood association with its two primary missions of land use and history.

The Hugo Neighborhood’s membership and geographical interests are focused on the Hugo area, but its land use concerns are county and statewide. Its history interests are local, but their context can be county, state, and nationwide.

The purposes of the association is to protect Hugo’s rural quality of life by promoting an informed citizenry in decision-making. The Hugo Neighborhood is a nonprofit charitable and educational organization with a land use and history mission promoting the social welfare of its neighbors by working to promote Oregon Statewide Goal 1 — Citizen Involvement, and by preserving, protecting, and enhancing the livability and economic viability of its farms, forests, and rural neighbors. Its mission follows.

Land Use     • Promote Citizen Involvement (Oregon Statewide Goal 1)

                     • Promote Education

                     • Protect Our Farms and Forests (Oregon Statewide Goals 3 & 4)

                     • Protect Our Community’s Rural Quality of Life

History         • Preserve Our Local History (preserving, documenting, promoting & interpreting)

                     • Promote Education

This nonprofit charitable and educational organization encourages free admission to Hugo Neighborhood sponsored events and donations to support its activities.

The Hugo Neighborhood is non-political and will not be involved in politics in the sense of lobbying for the outcome of a public vote of the issues or officials to be elected.

Justice System Exploratory Committee Established On June 17, 2013 the Board of the HNA&HS passed on a 3 - 0 vote the establishment of the Justice System and Public Safety Services Exploratory Committee. The mission of the committee is to independently research the JO CO JS&PSS issue and publicly provide its analysis through web page publications. Its proposed mission is limited to educating its members the best it can and sharing this information publicly. The HNA&HS believes in the sanctity of freedom of speech and the right to vote.

The HNA&HS also believes there is a high probability for another JS&PSS levy to be on a future ballot, probably 2014. It believes this is reasonable as adequate public safety services are needed, even though the form and the cost are a potential concern.

Exploratory Committee’s Structure The Exploratory Committee is a small informal nonprofit charitable and educational organization. Part of its purpose is to independently investigate the issue. Independent does not mean ignoring the valuable information and perspectives that the public and consultant resources can provide.

Members of the Committee are responsible for its health and well being. A qualification of potential members is that they be advocates for the Exploratory Committee’s mission. Existing members have the authority to independently investigate, solicit, and champion new members to the Committee.

Analysis Issues The first job of the Hugo Justice System Exploratory Committee is to define a potential list of issues for analysis (this scope of work). This first list will be refined and evolve as the committee moves forward with its work.

Outreach Information gathered will be made available to others for their own evaluation.

Mission Big picture ideas for the exploratory effort include the following.

1. Identifying the JS&PSS issue.

2. Identifying the JS&PSS sub-issues for research and analysis.

3. Identifying a range in level of services

4. Identifying a range of costs for services.

5. Identifying revenues for services.

The ultimate goal is an adequate justice system and public safety services. Is it possible to have a higher level of service for a lower cost? The purpose of the Exploratory Committee is to gather information adequate enough to understand the JS&PSS issues. This includes educational outreach efforts.

Exploratory Committee’s Purpose Is Not Overtly Political The Exploratory Committee’s purpose is limited to investigating, researching, and evaluating the JS&PSS issues. It will not make evaluations of legislative proposals as to “right or wrong”, nor make recommendations on how to vote.

The contents of the educational brochures are expressions of the opinions and beliefs of those that contribute based on their thoughts and experiences. Hopefully, their efforts will assist the pubic toward informed decision-making.

Exploratory Committee Process For Decision-Making What is the actual process for the Exploratory Committee’s selecting, researching, and web publishing JS&PSS issue papers and educational brochures? For instance, do the members of the Exploratory Committee “vote” (after discussion on individual suggestions/conclusions) in order to present a unified position statement, or to decide which issues are worthy of further research?

Members of the Exploratory Committee would not vote on whether JS&PSS issues would be documented in reports or educational brochures. The lead volunteer investigator for a topic, report, brochure would research and document, other EC members might comment, or pass on being involved. The mission of self-education would be accomplished on the volunteer member’s schedule without rigid deadlines. The Exploratory Committee’s goal is consensus, but it could support a majority view without a vote. Consensus is expected as all minority views can be expressed, just as the consensus and majority views in a web published paper or educational brochure. In some cases the Exploratory Committee’s published information may look in conflict with each other, but it is in fact probably reflecting the different views of citizens (i.e., pros and cons research and web publishing is encouraged).

In some cases the Exploratory Committee’s

published information may look in conflict with

each other, but it is in fact probably reflecting

the different views of citizens.

Like many volunteer organizations, the job is what folks volunteer for. One objective not proposed for the Exploratory Committee is for it to recommend how the citizens should vote on any new ballot pertaining to the issue. The Exploratory Committee’s purpose is limited to investigating and researching the JS&PSS issues. It will not make right or wrong evaluations of a legislative proposal, nor make recommendations on how to vote.

However, the Exploratory Committee is encouraged to evaluate the effectiveness of understanding what is being proposed (i.e., proposed levies, HB 3453, other alternatives). For example, how effective was the 2013 JO CO-wide Measure 17 - 49 for Criminal Justice and Public Safety Tax when the measure as written did not inform the reader as to whether any public safety services would even be funded, nor how much they would be funded?

All members of the Committee would be responsible for its health and well being. The only qualification of potential members is that they be advocates for the Exploratory Committee’s mission and the purposes for which it was formed. Existing members of the committee would have the authority to independently investigate, solicit, and champion new members to the committee, including the expertise of consultant experts, as well as analyzing and publishing their results without approval of the Hugo Neighborhood.

Justice System Exploratory Committee Information Articles

1.  Justice System & Public Safety Services Issue Scope Of Work (draft July 18, 2013)

2.

Justice System Exploratory Committee Letters to Editor

Support Funding For Justice System While Living Within Our Means

April 10, 2014 Submitted

Grants Pass Daily Courier

Wayne McKy, Hugo

 

Facts Should Support How Safety Dollars Spent

April 17, 2014 Published/Submitted April 10, 2014

Grants Pass Daily Courier

Mike L. Walker, Hugo

 

Which Safety Services Do We Really Need?

April 25, 2014 Published/Submitted April 10, 2014/

Grants Pass Daily Courier

Jon Whalen, Grants Pass

EDUCATIONAL BROCHURES

Educational brochures are authored by the Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society (HNA&HS) or the Hugo Justice System and Public Safety Services Exploratory Committee (Exploratory Committee).

Many of the brochures are qualified as "very draft" which means that they are just an idea, or "draft" which means they are the beginning of a research project to collect information on an idea. "Final" means the research on a topic is complete and the brochure only needs final editing. No qualification label means the educational brochure is web published. All brochures are considered open for public review and comments.

For the HNA&HS and Exploratory Committee verifiability means other researchers and the public reading the educational Justice System & Public Safety Services brochures, or other documents, can check where the information comes from and make their own determination if the references or sources are reliable. The HNA&HS and Exploratory Committee’s goal is not to try impose "the truth" on its readers, and does not ask that they trust something just because they authored it. They do not ask for trust. Its goal is to empower other researchers and the public through educational materials that can be checked in order for them to find their own truth.

Brochure Number System - The first breakdown for brochure serial numbers are the chapter’s 1^st order roman numeral heading (I) and 2^nd order upper case alphabet letter sub-section heading (I.A). Further breakdowns are the 3^rd order numerial heading (I.A.1) and 4^th order lower alphabet case heading (I.A.1.a)). In summary, the educational brochures’ identification numbers are the outline order headings where the material is addressed.

HNA&HS (HNA) BROCHURES

FACTS: ISSUE, PROJECTS, ANALYSIS

FACTS: JOSEPHINE (JO) COUNTY (CO) SHERIFF’S OFFICE

FACTS: JO CO JUSTICE SYSTEM PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES