The Oregon State University Extension Service must now decide if it will continue to provide services in Josephine County after the Board of Commissioners voted to defund the 28-year-old service district on Friday.
Commissioners Herman Baertschiger and John West voted in favor of a revised resolution that allocates $0 to the 4-H Extension Service budget in the next fiscal year while collecting no taxes for the district established by voters in 1996.
Commissioner Dan DeYoung voted against the revised resolution after first making a motion to fund the district for one year before placing a measure on the November ballot asking voters if they want to continue to fund services provided by the OSU Extension. The motion died due to lack of a second from the two other Board members.
The negative votes by Baertschiger and West came after a public hearing in which seven citizens spoke in favor of funding the district and two -- Mike and Winnie Pelfrey -- spoke against it. Baertschiger and West said they might entertain a future ballot measure, but asserted that it was not part of the motion to defund the district.
In other business, the Board unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budgets for Josephine County and the Law Enforcement Service District while making appropriations and levying property taxes. However, no presentations were made by Finance Director Sandy Novak and there was no public comment.