It’s a very busy ballot for local measures in the Nov. 5 general election.

Voters will have their say on a more than $60 million bond that will fund new programs and enhance classrooms at Rogue Community College facilities in Jackson and Josephine counties. Meanwhile, municipal voters will weigh in on measures covering everything from a $75 million water bond in Ashland to whether psilocybin businesses can operate inside Rogue River city limits.

Below is a rundown of the measures on the ballots and a brief synopsis:

Jackson County

• Measure 17-119 — Rogue Community College $60.3 million bond — Voters across Jackson and Josephine counties will decide on a bond that, when paired with reserves and a matching state grant, would allocate $41.9 million in improvements to the White City campus, $10.2 million for the downtown Medford RCC campus and $33.6 million for the Grants Pass campus. Taxes would not increase in Jackson County because it continues at the same rate as an expiring 2005 bond, but Josephine County voters would see an increase of 9 cents per thousand over a bond passed in 2016, according to an earlier news report.

Ashland

• Measure 15-232 — Open seat election — If passed, the measure would remove the requirement that city council candidates run for a designated seat position numbered 1 through 6. Instead, the three candidates with the most votes would run for any of the three seats open in each biennial general election, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 17 by the Ashland city recorder.
• Measure 15-233 — Municipal judge — The measure proposes that municipal judge be removed from the city charter as an elected position, and moves it to a position appointed by the mayor and city council, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 17 by the Ashland city recorder. The measure would also remove a salary requirement in the city charter schedule that required it to be a certain percentage as the salary adjustment of other Ashland supervisory employees and department heads.
• Measure 15-234 — Water revenue bonds, also known as Resolution 2024-05 — The ballot measure puts to voters whether the city of Ashland is authorized to issue up to $75 million in revenue bonds to finance water system improvements that include water treatment plant improvements and transmission line rehabilitation to the treatment plant’s east and west forks.

Rogue River

• Measure 15-230 — Term limits — The ballot measure is intended to simplify the maximum term limits for any elected official in Rogue River to a maximum of 16 years as city councilor or mayor, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 9 by Rogue River’s city administrator. Each term would remain at four years, and elected officials would need to run for office every four years.
• Measure 15-231 — Psilocybin business ban — The ballot measure would prohibit psilocybin service centers and the manufacture of psilocybin products within the city, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 9 by Rogue River’s city administrator. Rejection of the ballot measure would allow psilocybin facilities to operate within the city, subject to state and local restrictions.

Gold Hill

• Measure 15-235 — Revise city charter — If passed, the measure would extend the mayor’s term limit from two years to four years, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Sept. 3 with the Jackson County Elections Office. It also includes changes to voting and quorum requirements and establishes the position of a city manager as a charter-level city officer.

Rural Jackson County 

• Measure 17-123 — Three Rivers School District bonds — The school bond covers Josephine County voters and a small section of Jackson County voters, and would utilize a $6 million matching state grant that is available only if the bond passes, according to the Notice of Receipt of Ballot Title filed by the Jackson County Elections office. The bond covers the costs to reroof buildings throughout the school district, plus safety and security measures, such as added fencing, buzz-in entry systems, security cameras, key card entry, lighting and security doors.

The Voters Pamphlet for the Nov. 5 general election was scheduled to begin being mailed to registered voters in Jackson County on Wednesday, Oct. 9. To learn more about local candidates and measures, consult your printed pamphlet or find it online at the Jackson County Elections Office website.

Find coverage of races and measures in Ashland at Ashland.news, a news-sharing partner with the Rogue Valley Times.