Failure by Coos County Residents to Support a Public Safety Tax Leads to Early Release of 49 Jail Inmates

COOS COUNTY, Ore. — The failure by Coos County residents to support a public safety tax on the November ballot has led to the early release of 49 inmates from the county jail before year-end.

Several Coos County Employees Will Lose Their Jobs

It will also force the termination of several Coos County employees as administrators battle to maintain services without the additional funds from a public safety tax.

An unspecified number of Coos County employees have already been cut from the payroll.

Voters rejected a levy of 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value on the November ballot that would have funded public safety measures.

County Sheriff’s Office Budget Slashed by $1.6 Million

This was revealed at a grim budget meeting yesterday (Wednesday) in Coquille when it was announced that the budget for the Coos County Sheriff’s Office would be slashed by $1.6 million.

County Coos Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio said heads of all county departments were asked to make whatever budget cuts possible, resulting in an overall saving of $591,000. However, Fabrizio said the amount falls short of the estimated $1.6 million needed to maintain services.

A Lot of People Will Receive Termination Notices

Coos County Commissioner Rod Taylor said… ‘a lot of people are going to be receiving termination notices.’ He described the layoffs as ‘very unfortunate,’ and confirmed that the Sheriff’s Office would be hardest hit.

On a more positive note, Taylor said Coos County was able to include salary payments up to the end of January to those employees who have received termination notices. He said salary payments until the end of January 2025 would extend their insurance until February.

The County Commissioner said the goal was to find long-term increased revenue opportunities to rebuild the Sheriff’s Office and to reopen the second jail pod.

Takeaway

While budget cuts forced Coos County to take drastic cost-cutting initiatives that will end the jobs of an unspecified number of county workers, cutting the capacity of the county jail by 50% means a Happy New Year for the 49 inmates who will be released from prison before December 31.