Josephine County Commissioner Cherryl Walker addressed the Grants Pass City Council during the council’s Wednesday meeting about the county’s dire budget shortfalls and the need for the proposed Public Safety Levy to be voted in during the May election.

Walker says that from fiscal year 2011-2012 to fiscal year 2012-2013 the county dropped from expenditures of approximately $15.8 million on public safety to $7.1 million. She added that the proposed levy that would tax $1.48 per thousand dollars of assessed property value would not fund the county to its previous service levels because the commissioners expect the current diminished O & C funding the county has received to dissipate entirely by next fiscal year. When the county was at full O & C funding, it was the equivalent of having a levy at $2.0058 per thousand of assessed value.

Walker emphasized that this levy would only be for a three year period. “This is intended as a bridge to get us through the next three years until we can develop a plan,” Walker said.

Anyone who wants to know how much additional property tax they would have to pay can access the County Assessor’s webpage and search for their property.