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| Josephine County’s public safety budget Includes |
| By illinois-valley-news.com |
| Published: 05/06/2009 |
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JoCo public safety budget includes increase in patrols Gilbertson declines COLA, 4% pay-raise By SCOTT JORGENSEN - IVN Staff Writer Heads of Josephine County’s various public safety agencies presented their budget proposals during a Budget Committee hearing on Tuesday, April 28. Some 28 people were present at Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass to hear the testimony. Vice Chairman Dave Toler stated that Sheriff Gil Gilbertson declined the 4 percent raise and Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) approved for him by the Budget Committee on Thursday, April 23. Toler asked that Gilbertson’s refusal be reflected in the proposed fiscal 2009-10 budget. County Chief Financial Officer Rosemary DeLashmutt instructed committee members that they could withdraw the previous motion to grant the pay raise. Toler moved to withdraw the raise and COLA for the sheriff. Commissioner Sandi Cassanelli seconded, thanked the sheriff “immensely.” She said that his raise refusal will help with public perception regarding how tax dollars are spent. The motion passed 5-0. Gilbertson stated that the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) has started hiring additional personnel, and that within the next six months there will be a “change in productivity level” as a result. He added that Juvenile Justice and the D.A.’s office will see increases in their caseloads after the new deputies complete training and start patrolling. Also addressed by Gilbertson was his refusal of the approved 4 percent raise. He said that if he received it, he would have simply donated it back to JCSO. “It’s not the sheriff that deserves the raise, it’s the deputies,” he said. “I’m not here for the money.” Sheriff’s Business Manager Sue Watkins said that JCSO’s proposed 2009-10 budget will provide 20 hours of patrols per day, up from the 12 currently offered. It would increase the jail’s capacity from 105 to 140 inmates and enable non-emergency calls to be answered seven days a week. “There will be a significant improvement in response times,” Watkins said. She stated that three deputies have been hired and recently began attending classes at the Oregon Public Safety Academy at Monmouth. A staffing plan previously approved by the county commissioners allows for adding 16 positions. Eight would be for patrol, four for the jail and the rest for support staff. Juvenile Justice Division Director Janine Wilson gave a presentation on her agency’s caseload. She said that the juvenile detention facility had 373 admissions during 2008, and that her agency had 1,145 youth referrals. Approximately 73 percent of those came from the Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety, she said. Of those referrals, Wilson said, 113 were for felonies and 336 were for misdemeanor offenses. Wilson said that the state average for juvenile recidivism is 29.9 percent, anoting that Josephine County’s is 26.9 percent. Juvenile Justice raised $945,200 in revenue during the 2008-09 fiscal year, Wilson stated. In terms of expenses, the shelter receives around $521,710. More than $2 million goes toward personnel; and supplies total $82,301. The agency’s total budget is $2.3 million, meaning that it requires $1.37 million from the county’s public safety resources fund, Wilson said. However, Juvenile Justice is preparing for an estimated 20 percent cut in state funds and looking for grants and ways to become self-sufficient, she added. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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