Local News

No quorum was present for today's Weekly Business Session at 9 a.m. or the vacancy appointment meeting at 1:30 p.m.

During the 1:30 p.m. appointment meeting, no quorum was present. A citizen spoke up during roll call, saying Commissioner Ron Smith was on vacation and that Commissioner Chris Barnett knew. The meeting adjourned, and Barnett said police would be notified of the incident.

During the 9 a.m. Weekly Business Session, Barnett said he had received notice from Smith saying he's chosen to take a vacation. According to a statement from Smith, he will be returning January 29th.

No quorum was present, so no official business could be conducted. The meeting was held for informational, administrative, and transparency purposes only. Barnett adjourned the meeting at 9:03 a.m.

Two more appointment meetings for the vacant Commissioner seat are scheduled for the 22nd and 23rd at 10 a.m. The meetings will be held in the BCC Conference Room, and attendees must abide by the clear bag policy.

Commissioner Smith has confirmed he will appear on KAJO's Tuesday Talk Show scheduled for January 27th.

 

An oral argument has been scheduled for March 5th by the Oregon Court of Appeals in former Commissioner John West's case against County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels.

The Daily Courier reports that, three weeks before the recall election against West, he filed a complaint in Josephine County Circuit Court asking a judge to declare the recall petition void and block the election.

He argued the statistical sampling method that Henkels used to verify that petitioners had turned in enough valid signatures to trigger the election was wrong, and she should have verified every signature. He also asked for a temporary restraining order prohibiting her from conducting the election.

On December 4th, 2024, Henkels responded that the sampling method was carried out according to state law and administrative rules, which reportedly tell clerks to use statistical sampling.

West amended the complaint in a court filing December 16th, 2024, the day before the election was to take place. The amended complaint also asked the judge to declare the election void.

The day after the election, attorneys for West and Henkels argued the case before Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Bain. He ruled in favor of Henkels on January 6th, 2025, dismissing the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. However, it can be appealed, which West filed notice he was doing on February 7th of that year.

 

Oregon State Police troopers stopped a vehicle for speeding Tuesday at 5:56 p.m.

The suspect, Jere Clancy, was pulled over at U.S. Highway 199 and Riverbanks Road. During the stop, Clancy was found to have a felony warrant out of Marion County for his arrest.

The warrant charged Clancy with First Degree Aggravated Theft. Troopers took him into custody and lodged him at the Josephine County Jail. However, he was then conditionally released according to jail records.

 

Two men using what appeared to be meth were observed by Grants Pass Police Tuesday morning.

Officers contacted the suspects, Adam Boger and William Asbery, at 704 NW 6th Street around 7:56 a.m. Both were trespassed from the location for 30 days. Officers then found that Asbery was wanted on a Josephine County Sheriff's Department warrant for Second Degree Theft.

Both suspects were arrested and transported to the Josephine County Jail. Boger was lodged for Possession of Methamphetamine, Asbery was lodged for Meth Possession and his warrant.

 

Officers with the Grants Pass Police Department were notified of a trespassing complaint Tuesday at 10:45 a.m.

The manager of the North Safeway at 115 SE 7th Street alerted dispatch that Jacob Reeder had returned to the store, despite having been previously trespassed. The manager wanted to pursue charges for trespassing.

Upon arrival, officers contacted Reeder and took him into custody. His Parole Officer was contacted and a detainer was requested. Reeder was transported to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged for Second Degree Criminal Trespass and the Parole Violation detainer.

 

No quorum was present for today's Weekly Business Session at 9 a.m.

Commissioner Chris Barnett said he received notice from Commissioner Ron Smith that he's chosen to take a vacation. According to a statement from Smith, he will be returning January 29th.

No quorum was present, so no official business could be conducted. The meeting was held for informational, administrative, and transparency purposes only. Barnett adjourned the meeting at 9:03 a.m.

Appointment meetings for the vacant Commissioner seat are scheduled for this afternoon at 1:30 p.m., and the 22nd and 23rd at 10 a.m. The meetings will be held in the BCC Conference Room, and attendees must abide by the clear bag policy.

 

There was no quorum present for yesterday's County Administration Workshop.

Commissioner Ron Smith was absent, so no official business or actions could be conducted. Commissioner Chris Barnett said he had received no official notification from Smith regarding him missing the meeting. According to a call to the Commissioner's office, Smith is on vacation.

This morning at 9 a.m., the board's Weekly Business Session is scheduled to convene in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium. While there is no board business on the agenda, public comment, other matters, and announcements will still take place. The meeting will be viewable at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream

Appointment meetings for the vacant Commissioner seat will be held this afternoon at 1:30 p.m., as well as the 22nd and 23rd at 10 a.m. The meetings will be held in the BCC Conference Room, and attendees must abide by the clear bag policy.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were alerted to a domestic disturbance Tuesday.

At 5:10 a.m., a man called 911 to report his son had punched him in the face. No weapons were involved and the two had separated.

Deputies arrived at the property in the 2000 block of Caves Highway. The victim denied needing medical attention, and the son was taken into custody. Deputies charged him with Fourth Degree Assault, and lodged him in the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Grants Pass City Council directed City Staff to bring a salary schedule 10% less than the Taskforce Recommendation to consider at a later date. The council was presented with updated approaches to adjusting the Non-bargaining Employee's compensation and classification based on market analysis and Oregon Pay Equity law. The funding for these adjustments is in the budget. These aren't merit increases, it's a question of if these positions are paid competitively and whether employee placement is consistent with their experience. The goal was to find the most cost-effective salary schedule adjustment and implementation that allows for recruitment and retention of qualified employees and ensures compliance with legal requirements. Four options were presented to the council. The first was recommended by the Taskforce starting with a 2.71% Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) with phased implementation over the five fiscal years. The second would be Full Implementation starting with the same COLA, then 3% over subsequent fiscal years.