GP City Council Directs Staff to Create Competitive Grant for Non-Profit to Manage Shelter & Navigation Center
The City Council’s Monday workshop to deal with alternative approaches to a low barrier shelter and navigation center to deal with the homeless situation.
Council is considering providing real property to deal with the unhoused population. Real property would be either currently owned or to be purchased. Council directed staff to create a competitive grant program a private entity would apply for to manage either or both a low barrier shelter and navigation center. The goal would be to reduce or eliminate the current no barrier camps.
The program would be brought back to the Council at the June 2nd workshop, to be followed by a community forum.
The Grants Pass City Council directed staff to initiate a rate review for revenue bonding to fund the new water treatment plant. Impact to citizens will be a 2.5 percent increase in water rates for three years. A single-family dwelling currently paying $47.45 monthly for water only would be paying $54.23 in 2028.
The increase was needed after the federal government cancelled FEMA’s BRIC grant program that had already approved $50 million for the proposed water treatment plant. Council moved forward due to concerns for fragility of the current plant.
Councilors also received updates on Economic Development funds and Urban renewal grants. The programs are for among other things, attracting visitors from over 50 miles outside of the urban area, plus updating and beautifying Grants Pass’s downtown area. The fiscal budget for 2026 is just over $468,000.
