County Commissioners focus on funding losses during talk show
The Josephine County Commissioners focused on the decrease in funding the county will receive next year during Carl Wilson’s Talk Show on KAJO AM 1270.
Commissioner Simon Hare focused on the loss of Rogue Wilderness area that will dramatically affect O & C monies that the county acquires from the federal government and county owned timber harvestable land. “The one that is on the forefront right now is a bill that was dropped Nov. 16 to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the House by Congressman DeFazio of the Fourth District right here in Josephine County. It’s House Resolution 3436 and what it does is it expands the Rogue Wilderness area by 58,000 acres and setting aside this land could be pretty detrimental to Josephine County,” Hare said.
Commissioner Don Reedy felt that House Bill 3436 is designed to break up the power and sovereignty of the county as a self-governing body. “The Association of Oregon Counties is developing plans and position papers to oppose many of these issues. The wilderness thing, they seem to be piecemealing us, they take a little bit there and a little bit there. There is supposed to be an exchange process where, if they take lands away from us for timber harvest, they should give us something over here,” Reedy said.
The commissioners also discussed a Sheriff’s Office committee that is determining what programs can be cut in order to accommodate a large funding shortfall and recent tumors and deformities found on fish in the Rogue River since the demolition of the Savage Rapids Dam.
This entire interview is archived at kajo.com.
Posted on 11/29/11 10:36PM by Jared Dill
