Proposed taxing district would require voter approval from 5 communities; Jackson County spearheads effort to improve 22.4-mile bike and pedestrian path

By Damian Mann for the Rogue Valley Times

An effort to create a safer, cleaner, more fire-resistant Bear Creek Greenway is gathering momentum as Medford and other cities explore ways to improve the 22.4-mile bike and pedestrian path from Ashland to Central Point.

In a recent study session, Medford City Council received a rundown of the proposal from Jackson County, which has spearheaded the effort.

The study received about 3,000 responses from residents who indicated crime was a top concern on the greenway.

Medford residents could pay on average $49.43 a year in increased property taxes for a proposed district that would require voter approval from the city, as well as from Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Central Point.

The proposal, fleshed out in a study from ALTA Consulting, LLC, calls for a $5.9 million initial investment to thoroughly clean up the greenway corridor on public lands and strengthen fire breaks and remove vegetation to help prevent another Almeda-type fire, which destroyed almost 2,500 residences in Ashland, Talent and Phoenix.

Park rangers could patrol the greenway to provide additional security.

The Almeda Fire roared down the greenway on Sept. 8, 2020. On the same day, another fire broke out in the greenway area near Central Point, threatening that community.

If voters approve the district, it would collect enough taxes to pay the annual $2.1 million budget to maintain and provide better security along the greenway. The taxes would also pay down a loan for the initial $5.9 million investment in the corridor.

“Generally, we’ve gotten good feedback from the cities,” Steve Lambert, director of Jackson County roads and parks, told the council.

Currently, cities and the county contribute about $240,000 annually under an agreement to help maintain primarily the 10-foot wide asphalt pathway. Medford’s share is $63,000.

At this point, details of the greenway proposal are still being worked on for a potential ballot measure that would ask voters in the five communities if they would support an increase in property taxes to pay for the improvements.

A tax levy of 20 cents per $1,000 in assessed valuation would be required to fund the district and to pay off a loan for the initial $5.9 million outlay.

An average house in the five cities has an assessed value of $262,398, according to ALTA Consulting, LLC, and the annual property tax increase would be $66.25 a year.

ALTA’s study, part of a $300,000 county investment in planning for an improved greenway, asked local residents to voice their concerns about the pathway that generally follows Bear Creek.

Of those that responded to the survey, 84% said crime was their No. 1 concern, followed by 57% who said maintenance was a priority, citing problems with littering and graffiti.

A park ranger program was recommended by 54%, and 38% voiced support for increased law enforcement on the greenway.

Increased maintenance was supported by 45% of the respondents, and 23% wanted increased fire prevention, including removing invasive species and creating fire breaks.

While 69% of the respondents said they’d be willing to financially contribute to improve the greenway, 80% said they would be willing to consider a taxing district.

Lambert said cities and law enforcement agencies have already done a good job removing litter and debris from homeless camps.

He said that on various tours he conducted with city officials, he didn’t see any homeless camps.

What Lambert and councilors did find, however, is a lot of overgrown vegetation on private properties, which would be outside the scope of the taxing district.

Councilor Nick Card said the private property problem “exacerbates the difficulty in trying to upkeep all that maintenance.”

He said cities need a solution to this problem because the taxing district only improves public lands around the greenway.

“What the hell are we going to do about the private landowners along the greenway,” he said, while acknowledging that many residents do properly maintain their properties.

Lambert said the private property problem is not specific to Medford, and he said that issue could be addressed through local ordinances or through the fire marshal.

Councilor Kevin Stine wanted to know who would run the district.

“There might be some cities that might not want, per se, the county in control of it,” he said.

Lambert said that question is still open, but he said the taxing district could be set up so that each city has ultimate control over its portion of the greenway. Medford currently has 7.2 miles of the greenway running through the city.

Councilor Kevin Keating asked, “Will this affect insurance rates — drop them down conceivably?”

Lambert responded, “That’s a loaded question. My first hunch is probably not.”

Keating asked Lambert if the taxing district would pay for enhanced access for fire vehicles along the greenway.

Lambert said work is already underway to improve emergency access to the greenway and to create some fire breaks, though the taxing district would allow for more improvements.

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.