Concerns are growing over the use and budgeting of Title III funds in Josephine County, with both local officials and citizens questioning the qualifications of Michael Sellers, a key figure overseeing these matters. Sellers, who holds multiple positions at both state and county levels, has come under scrutiny for his handling of the Title III fund, particularly in relation to the Firewise contract with the City of Grants Pass, which was prematurely canceled last summer during the annual budget process without any notice to the involved parties.
At the center of the controversy is the budgeting, rather than the actual spending, of Title III dollars. While the funds themselves have not been improperly spent, they have been allocated in the budget in a way that prevents their use. This raises concerns about the competence of those managing the county’s emergency management department. Title III funds, which are designated for specific uses such as emergency response, search and rescue missions, and the Firewise program, require careful oversight. Missteps in the budgeting and contracting process have led to this issue being one of many concerns listed in the legal petition to recall Commissioner John West. If the funds had been spent as budgeted, the County would have used them in a manner not permitted by law.
The primary issue arose when Sellers recommended canceling the Firewise contract with the City of Grants Pass, a program aimed at wildfire prevention through community engagement. Sellers, seemingly unaware of how Title III funds are allowed to be spent and how the County previously used those funds, provided the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) with incorrect information regarding how much Title III funding was available to support the Firewise program. This led to the premature cancellation of the Firewise contract and may result in the County losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants that could have supported the program. According to the USDA Forest Service, “The Authority to initiate Title III projects for counties is September 30, 2025, and to obligate Title III funds by September 30, 2026. Any county funds not obligated by Sept. 30, 2026, must be returned to the U.S. Treasury.”
According to Jay Meredith, CPA, a volunteer helping to lead the Commissioner John West recall effort, County Finance Director Sandy Novak confirmed that the Title III funds are indeed available to reinstate the Firewise contract if the county chooses to do so through a budget adjustment. This revelation directly contradicts Sellers’ earlier assertion that the program was running out of money, further casting doubt on his qualifications. When asked why Novak did not speak up during the initial discussions about the Firewise contract, Novak stated, “Nobody checked with me before they made that proposal.” However, Novak was a participant in the public meetings when the decision was made, as confirmed by the meeting video on the County website, leading some to speculate that Novak may have been avoiding involvement in what seemed like a political move to cancel the City’s Firewise contract.
This lack of communication and transparency has fueled frustration. Sellers unilaterally removed the Firewise contract from the recommended budget without input from all three county commissioners. Commissioner Dan DeYoung, notably displeased with the decision, found himself unable to challenge it due to the incorrect financial information provided by Sellers, and the failure of Finance Director Novak to speak up against Sellers’ recommendation.
Many see this as symptomatic of larger problems—Sellers’ apparent unpreparedness for his emergency management role and the County Commissioners making rash decisions without input from all stakeholders. The City of Grants Pass was given only one day’s notice before the meeting on this topic, and Search and Rescue wasn’t even a participant in the discussion. It was clear the decision had been made before the public meeting, as the Firewise contract was removed from the recommended budget before the Commissioners even saw it.
One concerned citizen asked, “Was this an intentional attempt to stick it to the City of Grants Pass due to political differences that have surfaced between City and County leaders over the last few years?” Whatever the reason, the victims are the citizens of both the City and County, who now have less access to this fire safety program. Furthermore, if the County cannot find a lawful way to spend the grant dollars, it could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars that could have helped Josephine County homes better prepare for wildfires.
The mismanagement doesn’t end there. County officials have adopted a flawed budget process, raising further questions. In the fiscal 2025 budget, the entire $230,000 of projected Title III grant funds was budgeted in the Search and Rescue (SAR) fund, but less than $20,000 is actually used to reimburse SAR operational costs annually. In FY 2024, the county spent just $19,000 of Title III funds, a figure far below what was budgeted, prompting concerns about budget transparency.
IT and Emergency Management Director Sellers made a rash, uninformed recommendation, and the Commissioners followed suit with a similarly uninformed final decision, despite pleas from the City of Grants Pass and local fire service agencies regarding the importance of the Firewise program.
Recall organizer Jay Meredith, CPA, after speaking with both the Commissioners and Finance Director Novak, commented: “When we listed the premature cancellation of the Firewise contract as one of many concerns in the legal petition to recall Commissioner John West, West claimed we didn’t know what we were talking about. He stated that the program was running out of money, but the County Finance Director has since confirmed that our concerns were valid. This not only vindicates the recall effort but also proves another concern—’Hired unqualified political allies for key County employee and contract positions’—to be true. We will recommend that the County Commissioners adjust the budget and reinstate the Firewise program so that Josephine County doesn’t lose these crucial grant funds. The $6.4 million in losses Josephine County has suffered due to bad decisions by Commissioner West continues to grow. We cannot afford two more years of John West in office.”