Josephine County’s jail and juvenile detention levy moved further into the November election Tuesday when all three county commissioners agreed to personally endorse the measure in the voters’ pamphlet, placing Commissioners Ron Smith, Colene Martin and Gary Richardson together in support of continuing the five-year property assessment.
Martin said Tuesday that all three commissioners had agreed to personally support the Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Local Option Levy, which is scheduled to appear before Josephine County voters in the November 3 election.
“Today Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Richardson, and I have all agreed to personally endorse the jail and juvenile levy renewal in the voters’ pamphlet,” Martin said.
The commissioners reached that position as Josephine County continued working through two connected public safety funding matters Tuesday: continuation of the existing jail and juvenile detention levy and the possible formation of a Special Service District for Juvenile Justice. Both involve the future financing of county correctional services, although they remain separate proposals moving through different stages of the county process.
The levy is already headed to voters.
Smith, Martin and Richardson unanimously approved Resolution No. 2026-031 in August, referring a five-year continuation of the Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Local Option Levy to the November ballot. The measure maintains the existing rate of 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
For residents, the November measure does not introduce a new 93-cent assessment. It asks voters whether the existing levy should remain in place for another five years.
Using an assessed residential property value of approximately $239,908, a figure county officials cited during earlier levy discussions, the 93-cent rate would amount to approximately $223 annually. The actual amount paid by individual property owners would depend on assessed value, which can differ substantially from market value.
Revenue from the levy supports two major components of Josephine County’s public safety system. Adult jail operations receive the first funding priority, providing resources for correctional capacity and the county’s ability to lodge people arrested by law enforcement. Revenue remaining after those obligations are met contributes to juvenile detention and related administrative expenses.
How those services should be financed became a substantial part of county discussions this summer as commissioners examined whether the existing revenue structure could continue supporting adult corrections and juvenile detention through another five-year cycle.
One alternative considered in August would have reduced the levy to approximately 89 cents per $1,000 and concentrated the revenue on adult jail operations, removing juvenile detention from the measure. Commissioners ultimately retained the combined structure at 93 cents and unanimously sent the measure to voters.
At the same time, county officials have continued examining whether juvenile justice should eventually have a financing structure of its own.
A proposed Special Service District for Juvenile Justice has appeared repeatedly in county administrative discussions and returned to the commissioners Tuesday under Legal Counsel. The concept would create a separate governmental structure through which juvenile services could potentially be supported rather than continuing to rely heavily on revenue shared with adult corrections.
No separate juvenile justice assessment has been approved, no additional funding measure connected with the proposed district is currently before voters, and the county has not established a final rate for such a district.
Earlier county discussions examined the revenue that could be required to independently support juvenile detention, including estimates placing a possible assessment in the range of approximately 31 to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Those figures remain preliminary financial estimates and do not represent an adopted levy or an amount currently being presented to voters.
Against that larger financing discussion, Martin’s comments Tuesday established that Smith, Richardson and Martin are personally supporting continuation of the measure already headed to the ballot.
The commissioners previously acted unanimously in their official capacity to refer the 93-cent levy to voters. Their agreement Tuesday to personally endorse the measure in the voters’ pamphlet places each commissioner publicly behind its passage as Josephine County approaches the November election.
Martin connected her support with conditions Josephine County faced approximately a decade ago, when financial shortages restricted adult and juvenile correctional operations.
“We cannot afford to go back to where Josephine County was 10 years ago—with no juvenile detention center and a jail forced to release inmates because there wasn’t enough funding to hold them,” said Martin.
During that period, limited operating revenue restricted the number of funded beds available at the Josephine County Jail, contributing to releases when the county lacked sufficient resources to maintain additional inmates in custody. Juvenile detention services also faced substantial financial limitations as the county attempted to maintain correctional operations within available revenue.
Martin said continuation of the levy is necessary to preserve the public safety services developed since those years.
“This levy is essential to the safety of our community and to continuing the progress we have made in law enforcement, our jail, and juvenile justice services,” Martin stated.
Her position represents advocacy for passage of the measure. Smith and Richardson have now joined her in personally endorsing it for the voters’ pamphlet, while the ultimate decision remains with Josephine County voters.
Martin concluded her Tuesday message by urging residents to continue what she described as the county’s progress, writing, “Let’s continue turning Josephine County around. Let’s be the comeback county—and let’s get this done.”
The November election will determine whether the existing 93-cent levy remains in place for another five-year period. Meanwhile, the county’s examination of a Special Service District for Juvenile Justice continues along a separate track, with its structure, financing mechanism and eventual course still under consideration.
For Josephine County, Tuesday brought greater definition to both discussions. The jail and juvenile detention levy now has the personal endorsement of all three county commissioners as it approaches the November ballot, while the county continues examining whether juvenile justice will eventually require a dedicated funding structure of its own.