Budget addresses animal control facility, airport expansion and public safety

Jackson County Administrator Danny Jordan presented his budget message for 2025-26 Monday, showing a focus on needed capital projects related to animal control, airport travel and emergency/disaster response.

The total recommended budget, set for final review April 7-8, is $660,109,748 for the fiscal year set to begin July 1. The budget calls for a nearly $20 million increase from the adopted 2024-25 budget, which totaled $640,479,766.

Jordan, who said the county had “endured, responded to and recovered from” disasters, including the Almeda Fire and the impact of illegal marijuana grows, outlined projects being funded, or partially funded, in the proposed budget.

Top capital projects include expansion of the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport terminal. Constructed in 2009 at a then-cost of $43,500,000, the current facility capacity has been exceeded by passenger travel, and plans are being set in motion to begin a capital project to both expand the airport, including the number of gates, and improve the ability of the airport to accommodate larger aircraft.

For fiscal year 2025-26, some $40.9 million is being budgeted toward anticipated airport expansion costs of an estimated $184 million over the next five or six years.

For replacement of an ailing and outdated county animal shelter, plans for construction of a new “dog control facility” are underway. County officials say the cost to renovate the existing shelter, built in the 1960s along South Pacific Highway, would likely exceed the cost to construct a new one.

A new shelter has been a hot topic for community members after changes to shelter policy and issues related to an increased volume of dogs being housed at the antiquated facility and the shelter deciding last year to cease accepting cats.

Some $4.8 million is budgeted during the 2025-26 fiscal year toward an anticipated $15 million total cost of construction.

For another large-scale project, some $24.2 million is budgeted toward a Multi-Use Pandemic Response Center on the grounds of the Jackson County Expo along Peninger Road in Central Point.

The county received $47.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, including from the State, Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, and the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund contributed toward the $61.5 million total project cost.

Jordan said regional response efforts during the pandemic “revealed a lack of a large gathering space for testing, treatment and prevention of illness related to the COVID pandemic.”

Construction of the 120,000-square-foot facility, which will also provide overflow space for the nearby Expo and be partially used as a community center for the city of Central Point, began last summer and was well underway by February. 

Increased costs listed in Jordan’s budget message include a 31% increase in self-insurance premiums and an increase in personnel expenses of approximately 5%. Full-time equivalent (FTE) positions increased from 964.85 adopted in fiscal year 2024-25 to 980.18 recommended for fiscal year 2025-26.

While funding is not currently allocated, items marked for funding, should “sufficient non-operating funds” become available, include the need for expanded court and jail facilities.

With five judges authorized for the county, based on current caseloads, county officials will have to address a lack of capacity for accommodating the number of authorized judge positions within the current facility along Oakdale Avenue. The county is pursuing state funding opportunities to assist with needed expansion for authorized future capacity.

Highlighting an ongoing need, a larger jail has been a topic of discussion for much of the past two decades. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail utilized by police departments around the region, is restricted by capacity for just 292 inmates. Capacity challenges are exacerbated by added demand created by increased mental health issues and homelessness in the Rogue Valley, and mandatory sentencing imposed under Ballot Measure 11 for designated violent and sex-related offenses.

By comparison, the county’s population increased between 1981, when the jail was built, and 2024 from 134,545 to 220,999.

According to Jordan’s budget message, “local correctional facilities to appropriately address needs for lodging, housing, and maintaining custody are being examined and addressed.”

County officials conducted a survey process last year that showed mixed support for formation of a district for “construction and operation” of a new jail.

The proposed budget general fund includes a $22,584,000 contingency fund, made up of one-time funds not available on a continuing basis. The total contingency for all funds is $40,568,770. The county carries forward contingency funds necessary to meet cash flow projections in the general fund until federal O&C receipts and property tax payments are received each year.

Additional topics reviewed in the proposed budget include potential increased workload on an already taxed Jackson County District Attorney’s office due to changes to Measure 110; impacts to the Jackson County County Clerk’s office due to inflation related to a sharp increase of federal interest rates and a direct impact on the quantity of recorded documents; and diminished funding for county roads and parks due to, according to the proposed budget, weakened State Highway Fund revenues coupled with inflationary impacts across all aspects of work.

Budget Committee hearings on the recommended budget, which are open to the public, will be held at 9 a.m. April 7 and 8 in the county courthouse auditorium, 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford.

Following approval and publication of the Budget Committee’s approved budget, the Board of Commissioners is tentatively scheduled to adopt the budget on June 4.

The 2025-2026 budget message can be viewed online at jacksoncouny.org.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.