Josephine County’s continuing effort to establish stable financing for its adult jail and juvenile detention system moved into another phase Tuesday, with county commissioners scheduled to examine the possible creation of a separate juvenile justice service district while a five-year public safety levy proceeds toward the November ballot.
This report was prepared Tuesday ahead of publication Wednesday, with the Josephine County Board of Commissioners’ Administration Workshop scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Because the workshop occurred after the Tribune’s reporting deadline for this edition, final action and additional information resulting from the meeting were not available for inclusion. The Grants Pass Tribune will report the outcome and any additional county documents or decisions later this week as that information becomes available.
The Tuesday workshop placed a proposed Special Service District for Juvenile Justice before county Legal Counsel. The agenda also included county finance business, personnel requisitions, committee appointment recommendations and preparation of arguments supporting a levy.
The juvenile justice discussion follows months of county deliberations over how Josephine County should finance two costly components of its public safety system. Adult jail operations and juvenile detention have historically shared revenue from a voter-approved local option property tax, while financial projections presented during county discussions have raised questions about the ability of that arrangement to support both programs throughout another five-year levy cycle.
For voters, the immediate question is already headed toward the November 3 election.
Commissioners Ron Smith, Colene Martin and Gary Richardson unanimously approved Resolution No. 2026-031 in August, referring a five-year continuation of the Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Local Option Tax to Josephine County voters. The measure maintains the existing rate of 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
At an assessed value of approximately $239,908, a figure county officials identified as the average assessed value of improved residential property during earlier discussions, the levy would amount to approximately $223 annually.
The proposed tax would continue financing adult jail operations as its first funding priority, maintaining capacity for as many as 185 adults in custody and supporting the intake of people arrested in Josephine County. Revenue remaining after those obligations are met would be available to partially finance juvenile detention operations and associated administrative expenses.
County officials considered another configuration before settling on the 93-cent proposal. An alternative discussed in August would have established an approximately 89-cent levy dedicated to the adult jail and removed juvenile detention from the ballot measure. Commissioners ultimately chose to retain the combined 93-cent structure while continuing their examination of a separate, longer-term financing system for juvenile services.
That examination has brought the Special Service District proposal further into county discussions.
Josephine County began publicly exploring a service district for juvenile detention earlier this year as commissioners reviewed projections concerning the costs of maintaining both programs. Community Justice officials previously estimated that a tax rate capable of fully financing juvenile detention through a separate district could fall somewhere around 31 to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. No such tax has been approved.
The service district discussion remains separate from the 93-cent measure going before voters in November. The county has not established a permanent tax rate for a juvenile justice district, nor has a separate district tax been placed before voters. Commissioners instead have directed Legal Counsel to examine the governmental structure and legal requirements that would accompany creation of such a district.
If county officials ultimately pursue a district encompassing Grants Pass, Cave Junction and unincorporated Josephine County, additional governmental steps would be necessary. Previous county discussions have identified participation by the cities of Grants Pass and Cave Junction as part of establishing a countywide service structure. Any proposal seeking permanent property tax authority would also require voter approval before that tax could be collected.
The financial issue confronting the county extends beyond the mechanics of creating another governmental district. The existing 93-cent levy has helped finance the adult jail and juvenile detention for years, while operating expenses, staffing costs and other expenditures have continued to change. County officials have consequently examined whether the current arrangement can sustain both operations for another full five-year period without additional financial support.
Those discussions have produced several approaches during the summer, including separating the jail from juvenile detention, maintaining the existing combined levy, supplementing juvenile services through other county resources and establishing a dedicated service district for juvenile justice. The commissioners ultimately retained the combined levy for the November election while leaving the longer-term juvenile financing question open.
Tuesday’s workshop also placed levy advocacy before commissioners as the county moved further into the November election process. The board has already completed the central referral decision by sending the 93-cent measure to voters, while Legal Counsel has continued working on election documents associated with Resolution No. 2026-031.
The November ballot measure and the service district proposal remain at different stages of the county process. Voters will decide whether the existing 93-cent Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Local Option Tax continues for another five years. The juvenile justice service district remains under consideration while county officials determine what governmental structure, financing mechanism and legal process could accompany such a proposal.
Additional details from Tuesday’s commissioner workshop, including any direction given to Legal Counsel and any decisions affecting the levy or proposed juvenile justice district, will be reported by the Grants Pass Tribune later this week following review of the completed meeting and county records.