The Grants Pass City Council's Monday workshop dealt with some alternative approaches to create a low-barrier shelter and navigation center in order to cope with the homeless situation.
The City Council is considering providing real property to manage the unhoused population. The real property would be either owned by the city or it could be purchased. The panel directed staff to create a grant program that 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 will be brought back to the Council at the June 2nd workshop, to be followed by a community forum.
The Council also 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% increase in water rates for three years. A single-family dwelling currently paying $47.45 monthly for water would be paying $54.23 in 2028.
The increase was needed after the Trump administration cancelled FEMA's BRIC grant program that had already approved $50 million for the water treatment plant. The 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 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.
