Some of the uncertainty that had clouded the issue dominating discussion in local political circles the past few months is about to clear.

Jackson County For All, the group behind the three initiatives that would fundamentally alter the structure of the Board of Commissioners, told the Rogue Valley Times this week that it had secured the voter support needed to present its petitions to the county Elections Office for certification.

If enough valid signatures are authenticated, the measures head to the May 21 primary election ballot.

Meanwhile, the current commissioners were set to hear from County Administrator Danny Jordan on Thursday about possible cost increase projections should voters approve increasing the board from three to five members.

Taken together, this week’s developments should provide some much-needed transparency to a pair of questions that have been discussed in coffee shops, across social media and on the Times’ Opinion page since the effort became public last fall.

Are the proposals going before voters (it seems likely), and how much would this actually cost? (Potentially more than presumed.)

Although only 8,400 verified signatures were needed, petitioners had set a goal of 10,500 signatures for each measure, to create a buffer that would account for disallowed signatures during the vetting process.

Under the proposed realignment, the commissioners would remain at-large members. Originally, the objective was to divide the county into five districts, but organizers acknowledged that would be too complicated to achieve at this juncture.

The other measures would make the commissioners’ positions nonpartisan — Jackson County is among nine of 36 across the state that has party-affiliated commissioners — and would take the salaries of the three current board members and divide it among the proposed five-member board.

It is this last measure that has created alternate realities between proponents and opponents.

“Our citizens,” the measure description on jacksoncountyforall.org proclaims, “will get five for the price of three!”

But is that really the case?

David Gilmour, the most-recent Democrat to serve on the board (2003-2011) and an initiative supporter, wrote in a letter to the Times that starting salaries would be $75,000, with raises to mirror average salaries across the county.

Retiring Commissioner Dave Dotterrer, in a Guest Opinion in the Times in November, wrote that it was “absolutely untrue” that the three-to-five increase would have no additional expense to taxpayers.

“(Costs) would be substantial for each new commissioner,” wrote Dotterrer, a single-term Republican, citing “health insurance, travel, training and support staff costs, as well as significant capital outlays for the construction of two new offices.”

Jordan and county staff members have prepared a report on the projected costs, unavailable at press time, which was to be presented during a staff meeting on Thursday.

Those financial details — which should, and likely will, be evaluated by the public — provide another data point to give voters a firmer grasp of what’s at stake as they participate in the future of their county government.

It’s a vote that should be made with as much clarity as possible.