Little Change in Josephine County Election Results after 3rd Run of Ballots on Wednesday

The unofficial results of Tuesday's primary election in Josephine County did not change much after the third run of ballots by the Clerk's Office yesterday. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, the race for Position #2 on the Josephine County Board of Commissioners was still between Chris Barnett and Colene Martin. Barnett had 45.2% of the vote while Martin received 24.2%. Barring any dramatic changes, those two candidates will face off in the November general election. For Position #3, Pat Fahey was still leading with 39.05% of the ballots while Ron Smith was the runner-up with 26.08%. Fahey and Smith will face off in November. It was still bad news for all three ballot measures in Josephine County. Measure 17-116 to replace the County Charter, Measure 17-117 to fund the Animal Shelter and Animal Control, and Measure 17-118 to authorize bonds for Three Rivers School District building improvements were all failing by wide margins. Republican Noah Robinson was easily defeating Christine Goodwin in the race for State Senate District 2 by a 60.89% to 38.79% margin. Democrat Mark Seligman was still up big over Dustin Watkins in the race for House District 3 by a 60.79% to 36.86% tally. ...Read more

Board Approves First Reading of Ordinance to Establish "Fairgrounds Permanent Fund"

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday took the first step in creating a permanent financial resource for the Fairgrounds in south Grants Pass. Following a public hearing, the Board voted unanimously to approve the first reading of an ordinance that amends the Josephine County Code to establish a Fairgrounds Permanent Fund using proceeds from the $9.5 million sale of The Flying Lark to River Valley Community Church. Adoption is set for June 5th. Legal Counsel Wally Hicks testified that Oregon Revised Statutes allow the Board to open the reserve fund interest-bearing account in order to pay for Fairgrounds' projects, services and equipment. He said the fund must be maintained at no less than $9 million, and the Commissioners and Fair Board can authorize loans from the account to pay for the facility's financial needs. There was no public comment. The Board also unanimously approved three annexations to the Illinois Valley Fire District and one annexation to the Josephine Community Library District. The annexations were by petition of the landowners, without election. ...Read more

Total Payroll Employment in Josephine County Increased by 170 Jobs in April

Total payroll employment in Josephine County rose by 170 jobs in April with gains across several local industries. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 34,353 people working in Josephine County last month for a seasonally-adjusted jobless rate of 5.4% -- down slightly from 5.5% in March. Job gains of 40 were estimated in construction, leisure & hospitality, and private education & health services. Manufacturing, retail trade, and transportation, warehousing & utilities each added 20 jobs over the month. Government employment slipped by 20 jobs with a loss of 30 in local government education slightly offset by a gain of 10 federal government jobs. Over the past year, payroll employment in Josephine County slipped by 170 jobs, a decrease of 0.6%. Industries adding new jobs since April 2023 included private education & health services (+330) and financial activities (+20). Industries with estimated job losses were leisure & hospitality (-240), manufacturing (-120), retail trade (-100), wholesale trade (-50) and other services (-40). ...Read more