Local News

With only Commissioner Chris Barnett present, the 10 a.m. board meeting was used for informational purposes only, with no deliberation, discussions, or actions taken due to a lack of quorum.

Members of Legal Counsel were not present due to a scheduling conflict and an undisclosed reason. In a memo sent to the board, questions from yesterday's meeting were answered regarding a temporary board.

If there is no quorum of the board during the 30-day period following former Commissioner Andreas Blech's resignation on December 5th, all authority to appoint and fill the vacancy will be transferred to a temporary board.

According to the County website, the board has meetings scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday and Friday, as well as an 11 a.m. Commissioner and Elected Officials Meeting Friday, all taking place in the BCC Conference Room.

The meetings can be streamed at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream. Those wishing to attend in person must comply with the clear bag policy.

 

Tuesday at 5:56 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, AMR-Josephine County, and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, were dispatched to a traffic accident.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Redwood Highway and W Hanby Lane in Cave Junction.

Upon the arrival of emergency personnel, vehicles involved in the incident were present, but one of the drivers had left the scene before the arrival of Fire and EMS units. One person was transported with non-life-threatening injuries to a nearby hospital.

The scene was subsequently transferred to the jurisdiction of the Sheriff's Department.

 

The Grants Pass City Council's 6 p.m. meeting agenda includes a public hearing on a property lines ordinance, and a resolution amending the Comprehensive Fee Schedule.

The Council will also consider resolutions and an ordinance authorizing the issuance of Water Revenue Bonds during Council Action, followed by a motion to appoint one member to the Urban Area Planning Commission.

The Consent Agenda includes resolutions giving authorizations to the City Manager and motions acknowledging minutes. Matters from the Mayor, Council, and Staff will be covered, then the meeting will adjourn.

An Urban Renewal Agency Meeting will follow, covering resolutions authorizing indebtedness for the Water Treatment Plant, and authorization to enter a contract with First Forty Feet to prepare the Midland-Washington Redevelopment Opportunity Plan.

Tonight's meeting will commence in the City Council Chambers, 101 NW A Street at 6 p.m.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man riding a bike on a public roadway for two warrants early Tuesday morning.

At 12:22 a.m., the suspect, Corey Names, was observed operating the bicycle without required lighting at the corner of Galice Road and Azalea Drive.

Deputies conducted a stop, and found Names to be wanted on two valid, no-bail, Sheriff's Office warrants for Criminal Trespass in the First and Second Degrees. He was taken into custody and lodged in the Josephine County Jail without incident.

 

Commissioner Ron Smith read his public record regarding his position on the filling of the Commissioner Position 1 vacancy and his reasoning for recusing himself from recent meetings as a statement during today's workshop. He then reiterated at the end of the workshop he would not participate in upcoming meetings. During the Legal Counsel Update, the board had no objections to the preparation of adopting an administrative policy, and approved 2-0 the Oregon Department of Energy ECAPP application for a county owned building at 1000 Redwood Avenue. A motion passed to accept the recommendation to move forward with the offer to purchase County property on Winona Road. Department Business followed, with approval of invoices for the Treasurer, Public Works, and Facilities, as well as Human Resources Requisitions and Actions. The District Attorney's request for a subgrant to cover half of an attorney position with Friends of the Children's Advocacy Center, with the County paying the other half, was approved. A revision to a Community Justice IGA between Oregon Youth Authority and Juvenile Justice, reducing liability insurance from $5 million to $1 million, was also approved. The board approved a 3-year-contract with Command Cloud for the Sheriff's Office to provide a tracking program for added accountability, pending vetting from the IT Department.

 

Applications are being accepted for one open position on the Josephine County Solid Waste Agency Budget Committee.

The purpose of the committee is to receive and review the proposed budget and recommend a budget for approval to the Agency.

Qualifications to serve on the committee include being a resident within Josephine County and being a registered voter. Experience in evaluation and analysis of the delivery of services is beneficial, as well as a background in civic and community volunteer programs.

Applications are available in the City of Grants Pass Public Works Office at 101 NW A Street, Room 205, or online at grantspassoregon.gov. Applications need to be returned by January 31. Call (541) 450-6110 for more information.

 

Grants Pass Police officers were alerted to a domestic disturbance late Monday night.

At 11 p.m., a woman reported to dispatch that she and a man had been arguing while under the influence of alcohol in a SW Keegan's Court property. The two have a restraining order in which the man is the respondent.

The situation reportedly wasn't physical, and the man didn't have any weapons. He came on the line with dispatch saying that the woman has been letting him live there and she was going to drop the restraining order.

Officers arrived and contacted the man outside the property where he was then was arrested for the restraining order violation and a warrant for Contempt of Court.

He refused to walk to the patrol vehicle, and, while handcuffed, slammed himself into the vehicle causing a laceration. Officers brought him down to the grass to prevent further harm to himself.

The man was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center. While en-route, he continued to hit himself against the back partition. He was cleared at the medical center, and further reported to law enforcement that the woman assaulted him back at the property.

Officers transported the man to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged for Contempt of Court and his warrant.

 

The City of Grants Pass is inviting the community to enter the 2025 Water Quality Report photo contest.

K-12, amateur, and professional photographers are encouraged to enter. The winning photos will be featured in the 2025 Water Quality Report. The first-place winner will receive $200, and second place will receive $100.

Participants must submit an original photo that demonstrates the theme, “What Water Means to Me." Images created by AI are not allowed. A full list of rules can be found at www.grantspassoregon.gov

Entries will be judged based on creativity, originality, and theme relevance, and winners will be notified via email by January 9. The deadline is 5 p.m. December 31. Entries must be submitted to smorgan@grantspass.oregon.gov

 

The Josephine County Solid Waste Agency is now accepting applications for Funding Requests for not-for-profit projects.

Past approved applications include The Wolf Creek Railroad Clean Up, Rogue River Clean-up, and the Illinois Valley Tire Take Back Event.

Funding request applications are available in the City of Grants Pass Public Works Office at 101 NW A Street, Room 205, or at www.grantspassoregon.gov.

The deadline to submit a funding request is January 31, 2026. Requests can be submitted via email to smorgan@grantspassoregon.gov or mailed to 101 NW A Street.

For more information, participants are encouraged to call 541-450-6110.