The BCC Weekly – Taking the “Blind” out of the BCC
The County’s temporary board of elected officials held commissioner interviews, selected Colene Martin and Gary Richardson to fill the two vacant BCC seats, and the two new commissioners were sworn in on Monday this week. They are getting right to work this week by tackling an issue that some in the County consider a very time sensitive issue, the Animal Shelter levy renewal.
Commissioners have scheduled a site visit at the Animal Shelter for 2pm on Wednesday this week. And according to comments from Commissioner Smith on the KAJO talk show this week, Commissioner Smith intends to hold an administrative meeting on Thursday this week and a Weekly Business Session on Friday of this week in order for Commissioners to take public input on this topic and potentially approve an Animal Shelter levy renewal ballot measure for the May 2026 ballot. This week may be the last opportunity to put such a measure on the May 2026 ballot.
Comments on social media have implied that many animal shelter advocates have been concerned about getting the levy renewal on the May 2026 ballot so that there is no gap in annual operational funding for the animal shelter operations. Except, the current voter-approved levy of 11 cents per $1000 of assessed value provides funding that doesn’t expire until June 30, 2027. Therefore, after May 2026, there are still two more opportunities to bring a levy renewal measure before voters in advance of the current levy expiration, the election of November 2026 or May 2027.
Some Animal Shelter supporters are hoping that a levy renewal can be brought before voters early in the May 2026 election so the message doesn’t get lost with other competing measures that are expected to be on the November 2026 ballot in Josephine County. The County’s Jail/Juvenile Justice operations levy also expires next year and would normally come before voters for a renewal vote in November 2026. And there is an IV Fire District levy that also expires next year.
Animal Control and Animal Shelter services are provided as required by both state and local laws. The County Charter requires “full support” of these services as shown below in Section 14.6 of the County Charter:
Section 14.6. COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL SUPPORT.
(1) The county shall provide full support and maintenance of all Animal Control field services and shelter operations.
(2) “Field Services” shall consist of the enforcement of all Oregon statutes relating to offenses against animals, and County Charter laws and County ordinances relating to licensing, domestic animal, poultry of livestock issues and all animal abuse or neglect investigations. These services shall include the trapping, pickup and disposal of all stray and abandoned animals, and they shall be available to meet citizen needs.
(3) “Shelter operations” shall include licensing, lost and found assistance, animal boarding in the main shelter, requirement of a strict responsible ownership contract for adoptions with no animals available for research or exploitation, active leadership for a humane educational program for adult and school-age county residents, and euthanasia services.
(4) Definitions shall follow ORS 167.310(1)(a)(c)&(d). {Amended November, 1994}
According to the current year budget, County Animal Control/Shelter operations license close to 2600 dogs per year, shelter close to 2500 animals per year, adopt over 1000 animals per year, reunite 500-600 animals with their owners per year, and transfer close to 700 animals per year to other rescues. According to the current year budget document, the Animal Shelter has been able to maintain a No-Kill Live Release Rate for six consecutive years.
Property tax local option levy measures are limited to no more than five years in length and must be renewed by voters at the end of each levy term. The animal shelter levy started out at 8 cents about 12 years ago and has been renewed by voters twice, the last time being about 4 years ago at a rate of 11 cents per $1000 of assessed value. When the County was in a fiscal crisis between the years of 2012 and 2017, voters approved a small levy for animal shelter operations before any new levies were approved for County Law Enforcement or Justice program funding. Voters supported the animal shelter levy about three years before the first modern levy was approved by voters for the Jail and Juvenile Justice programs in 2017.
A member of the Josephine County Animal Shelter Advisory Committee has stated that the current 11-cent levy isn’t keeping up with the rising cost of veterinary care and the various shelter costs. In the current year budget for the Animal Shelter & Control Fund, budgeted expenses are a little more than $100,000 higher than budgeted revenues, including the animal shelter levy revenues which currently brings in a little more than $1 million per year in property tax revenues dedicated to animal shelter and control operations.
A little over a year ago the BCC did discuss the potential of a large multimillion grant that could help provide for building a new animal shelter facility, but not long after that former Commissioner Blech terminated the Director of Public Health who was overseeing that grant process. It’s unclear whether that full grant application was submitted, but recent comments by Commissioner Smith imply the County was not successful with that grant application.
Pairing operational needs with the need to expand the overcrowded animal shelter building itself, the recommended levy rate for the next levy term will likely be more than the current 11-cent rate. County officials have not yet stated what the recommended rate and term will be for the levy renewal ballot measure, and ultimately the BCC will decide the terms of the measure that goes before voters.
Any citizens wishing to provide input to the commissioners on this topic should email the commissioners this week or attend the Weekly Business Session which is expected to be held on Friday, February 27th at 10am in the Anne Basker Auditorium.