While most local government agencies rely on property taxes, Coos County has done its best to find other revenue streams to serve the community.

By creatively structuring county operations, the county has been able to sustain operations over the years with a property tax base that is the second lowest in the state. Some of the ways the county has been able to do this include creating revenue-generating operations. The Solid Waste Program, for one, sustains itself on fees and has transitioned from relying on property tax dollars to being self-sustaining by charging for the services that are used.

There are many other examples that demonstrate the county’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.

Expanding the Riley Ranch RV Park is expected to generate between $200,000 and $300,000 per year in income to the county’s general fund. In all, the Parks Department funds its own operating expenses and contributes about $400,000 annually to county operations.

The county also has increased its inventory of county forestlands from 15,000 to 17,000 acres. By harvesting on a sustainable yield basis, the Coos County Forest generates around $3 million annually to fund county services, augmenting the $6 million in annual property tax revenues. This also creates local jobs, as local loggers are hired to harvest those timber sales. The logs go to Oregon mills and are not allowed to be exported, creating even more jobs in the state.

These are just a few of the ways the county has been able to operate efficiently without having to raise taxes. Some years in the past decade, there actually has been a decrease in tax levies. The county now is facing a multi-million dollar shortfall in the coming budget cycle. Deficits have been plugged by federal dollars of late, but those are running out. 

County officials to discuss public safety levy with cities

Coos County Commissioner John Sweet, Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio and District Attorney Paul Frasier will be attending local city council meetings next week to talk about a proposed ballot measure for funding public safety in the county.

They will be meeting with the Coquille City Council as part of the regular monthly council meeting at 7 p.m. on March 4 in the Council Chambers at Coquille City Hall, 851 N. Central Blvd., in Coquille.

The group will meet with the Powers City Council as part of its regular meeting at 7 p.m. on March 5 at the Powers City Hall, 275 Fir St., in Powers.

Both meetings are open to the public.

The Coos County Board of Commissioners meet the first and third Tuesdays of every month at around 9:30 a.m. at the Owen Building, 201 North Adams St., in Coquille. Those meetings are open to the public. Realizing that a lot of people have busy lives and can't make meetings, remote participation is available, as well as a YouTube channel where videos of the entire meetings can be accessed 24 hours a day. Below are some links to recent meetings.

Like disaster preparedness, homeless response is a community undertaking. It takes partnerships to achieve successes.

One such partnership that Coos Health & Wellness has made includes the local Salvation Army Coos Bay Corps. Major Erin Kaufman and other church leaders have been working with the county and City of Coos Bay to set up a designated shelter site for the community.

The Southwest Oregon Health Preparedness Organization and Coos Health & Wellness secured a grant to purchase 100 cots, blankets, medical supplies, air filters, generators and more. With these resources, the Salvation Army can quickly set up an emergency shelter in the case of a natural disaster, prolonged power outage or other hazardous situation.

“With these resources, they can actually run a shelter in the event of a natural disaster,” former Coos Health & Wellness Public Health Director Anthony Arton said. “We got permission from the grant funding entity so now they can also use these resources to operate a warming center when it gets cold. That helps them get experience running a shelter so that they are more prepared if there is a disaster of a larger scale.”

The Corps offers the cold-weather shelter when temperatures fall to 36 degrees or colder. During those nights, two staff members provide services and ensure security to the population being housed. They provide a hot meal, cots for sleeping and jackets. Those who are being sheltered can watch television for entertainment until the lights go out at 9 p.m.

“We are extremely fortunate in Coos County that we’ve been able to find people who care,” Arton said. “We have a lot of smart people in the organization, but we can’t do it all by ourselves. In this community, there is a general principle that we take care of each other.”