JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – Governor Tina Kotek signed four different bills into law this week that will provide funding for housing and infrastructure and mental health and addiction treatment.
Within those bills, millions of dollars will go to a variety of organizations in Jackson County including funding for improved sewer and storm water facilities in Medford, Phoenix and Talent.
That is all part of Governor Kotek’s emergency housing stability and production package which was one of the focuses of the most recent legislative session.
Ashland Senator Jeff Golden said he’s pleased with how much funding will be used to increase housing locally.
Golden said, “we were fighting over whether to enlarge urban growth boundaries and make more land buildable, but that doesn’t matter very much if you can’t serve them with water, power or other utilities.”
The legislature will also provide $1.5 million in funding to Addictions Recovery Center for a withdrawal management project and a sobering center.
Golden said he is not satisfied with the lack of funding for wildfire prevention and that will be a top priority for him in the next legislative session.
$2.5 million in funding will also go toward Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon to help them build more modern radio systems for first responders.
ECSO Director Tim Doney said, “roughly 95% of our geographic area in our region and county will be covered by radio signal that a police officer or firefighter or paramedic will be able to pick up. We’re really going, I hate to say from the stone age to the modern age, but we really are taking that leap.”
Doney said they hope to have all of their construction done by early 2026.
He said they still have a shortfall in their project budget due to inflation, but they will be working to find ways to fully fund their new digital system.
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