May ballots are out now, and voters need to decide if they want to have a functional county law enforcement agency that is capable of prosecuting crimes and putting criminals in jail, or one that is so underfunded that hundreds of crimes will go unpunished and criminals will walk free.
Voters must vote yes on Measure 20-129 to prevent the criminal justice system from collapsing. The measure would create a 1.1 percent income tax for those who work in Lane County, and it would pour $32 million annually into Lane County’s general fund to fill a hole that is roughly one-third of its total budget. – roughly $20 million. The hole was created by the expiration of a federal compensation program that sent money to counties that contained undevelopable National Forests. Voters also have the option of capping the income tax at 2 percent.
The county must be properly funded, and voters must vote yes on this measure. Nevertheless, some residents of Lane County want the services but aren’t willing to pay for them. Recently, some residents called for a recall of the county commissioner who proposed the income tax. They have said that the county should have prepared better for the loss in federal payments.
Those views are short-sighted and are damaging to the safety of local residents. Opponents of Measure 20-129 either don’t understand the consequences of not funding the Lane County Sheriff’s office or would prefer to live in a virtually lawless county.
If the measure doesn’t pass, the county would be forced to cut 248 jobs, according to Lane County officials. The number of available jail beds would drop to 50 and the District Attorney would have to choose which crimes he is able to prosecute, leaving others unpunishable in the county. The county has already said that it wouldn’t be able to prosecute felony drug possession cases, and it would have to cut all six violent-crime detectives, close 12 parks and cease animal regulation outside cities.
The only other alternative for funding would be if the federal government (by miracle) decides to renew a century-old county payment program that has provided money to counties that contain large areas of undevelopable National Forests.
Without the federal funds or the measure, these cuts are unavoidable. The county can’t simply cut the fat in a system that has made cuts in 12 of the last 15 years. If the measure isn’t passed, the jobs will be cut by July 1. These cuts will be made to a county whose services are already substandard. The District Attorney’s staff is 30 percent smaller than it was in 1980 and its caseload has doubled. Imagine this office if it had 30 percent less funding.
The problem transcends just the lost jobs or closed parks; it’s about our safety. Lane County will not be a safe place to live if this measure doesn’t pass.