10/09/2026 Board of Commissioners' Weekly Update

Treasury and Tax Office Offers New Monthly Payment Option for Property Owners

The Josephine County Treasury and Tax Office will be the first in Oregon to offer a new online property tax payment option in 2027, allowing property owners an option to make monthly payments instead of a single lump-sum payment.

"One of the things I've heard from taxpayers is how difficult it can be to budget for a large property tax payment all at once," Josephine County Treasurer Dustin Calvo said. "I wanted to find a practical option that could make that process a little easier."

Josephine County is the first county in Oregon to offer a digital monthly payment option. The County is contracting with Easy Smart Pay (ESP), and rollout is planned for early 2027. ESP allows participating property owners to spread their property tax obligation into scheduled monthly payments. ESP collects those payments throughout the year and submits the full property tax payment to the County before the applicable deadline, which potentially will give the taxpayer a 3% full-pay discount. Participation is completely voluntary, taxpayers who prefer the traditional payment options can continue using them with no changes.

"I'm proud that Josephine County is leading the way in Oregon by bringing this option to our community," Calvo said. "I look forward to continuing to find ways to improve the services provided by the Treasurer's Office."

There is no cost to Josephine County to offer the program and no cost to taxpayers to participate. Payments made using an ACH bank account carry no transaction fee; a 1.99% transaction fee applies to debit or credit card payments. Program eligibility, deadlines, and payment schedules may vary case by case.

Board of Commissioners' Weekly Update

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners addressed a range of matters this week involving housing assistance, juvenile services, youth drug prevention, law-enforcement equipment, County staffing, public records, social media, and the County's obligations when state and federal requirements conflict. Commissioners also continued efforts to improve transparency, modernize County communications, and strengthen public access to government information.

October 6

During the October 6 Administration Workshop, the Board reviewed Resolution No. 2026-037, renewing Josephine County's Fair Housing Resolution as part of the County's Community Development Block Grant requirements. The current $500,000 grant has primarily supported home-repair assistance for qualifying low-income residents, while the next $500,000 award is expected to provide approximately $400,000 for eligible home repairs and $100,000 specifically for mobile homes located in mobile-home parks outside the City of Grants Pass. The resolution will return for formal consideration at the October 14 Weekly Business Session.

The Board unanimously authorized Community Justice to discontinue participation in the Child Nutrition Program Sponsor Agreement for juvenile detention and residential programs. Staff reported that reimbursement received through the program did not offset the administrative burden, training requirements, audit preparation, and restrictions on food purchasing and portion sizes. Community Justice indicated that existing departmental resources can absorb food costs while allowing staff time to be redirected to other program needs.

Commissioners also approved submission of an application for up to $750,000 over three years through the OJJDP Community and Schools Youth Drug Prevention Program. If awarded, the funding would support approximately 1 to 1.5 school outreach officer positions focused primarily on Grants Pass High School, with additional middle-school availability, along with youth prevention education programming. The motion passed 2-0, with Commissioner Richardson abstaining because the proposal specifically involved Grants Pass School District 7.

The Sheriff's Office received approval to place $57,100.39 in unclaimed currency and unclaimed-property auction proceeds into its equipment reserve account to assist with the future replacement of aging Tasers. The Sheriff reported that a full replacement package for approximately 50 units is expected to cost about $500,000 and that the Office has also received a $30,000 grant from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians/Seven Feathers toward the replacement effort.

The Board also approved moving forward with the Sheriff's Office application for $13,114 through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. The funding would support deputy overtime for community-engagement activities, including evening and weekend events and renewed resident-deputy style outreach in different areas of Josephine County. The grant will return at the October 14 Weekly Business Session to provide the required opportunity for public review and comment.

Several staffing matters were also reviewed, including an additional Information Technology System Support Specialist, a part-time Animal Shelter Technician, an updated job description and compensation study for the Public Health Nurse Practitioner serving the jail clinic, and personnel actions involving the Technology Director and Solid Waste program. Human Resources also approved temporary telework for Legal Counsel staff while HVAC repairs are completed in the office.

October 7

At the October 7 Weekly Business Session, the Board unanimously approved updates to Administrative Policy F-01, Social Media Policy, and Administrative Policy F-06, Public Records Policy. The revised Social Media Policy addresses current First Amendment considerations, comment moderation, public-record retention, and the responsibilities associated with County-operated and elected-official social media accounts.

The revised Public Records Policy updates County procedures to better align with Oregon public-records law and current County practices. The County consulted with Oregon Public Records Advocate Todd Albert during development of the revisions, which are intended to improve public access, consistency, organization, and accountability in the records-request process. The Board unanimously approved the updated policy.

Commissioners also received a draft resolution concerning potential conflicts between state and federal legal requirements, particularly where compliance may affect federal funding or expose counties to potential False Claims Act liability. The discussion included Oregon sanctuary-state requirements and federal immigration-related funding conditions. The Board did not take final action and instead invited additional public input before the resolution returns for further consideration.

During public comment, community members addressed public-record access, government transparency, education, civic engagement, and school priorities. Commissioners noted ongoing improvements to the County's records-request process and emphasized the importance of timely access to public information and responsive government.

Throughout the week, Commissioners continued working with County departments on matters involving housing assistance, juvenile services, prevention programs, public safety, staffing, technology, and government transparency.