Grants Pass Tribune - Wed. September 9, 2026 by Grants Pass Tribune

FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2026

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Unfinished Budget, Unresolved $25,000 Follow Simon Hare into Josephine County Treasurer Race By John Oliver Simon Hare is campaigning to become Josephine County Treasurer with an unresolved $25,000 county payment still attached to his brief tenure as budget officer, a financial dispute that has persisted since he resigned before completing the county’s budget assignment in 2025. No repayment of the disputed money has been publicly documented. No repayment agreement has been disclosed. Questions submitted to Hare and Josephine County officials concerning the status of the money have yet to produce a definitive public accounting of what was returned, what remains outstanding or what action the county intends to pursue. The Grants Pass Tribune again contacted Commissioners Ron Smith, Colene Martin and Gary Richardson, county legal counsel and Hare last week seeking documentation and answers concerning the $25,000. The newspaper asked whether the county has formally determined that Hare owes money for contractual services that were not completed, whether any portion has been repaid, whether a repayment arrangement has been proposed and whether the county has issued a demand, considered collection or contemplated litigation. The questions have acquired greater consequence now that Hare is seeking election as coun-

ty treasurer, an office built around the custody, administration and accounting of public money. The dispute dates to 2025, when Josephine County hired Hare, a former county commissioner, to serve as budget officer during a period of considerable upheaval inside county government. Hare was selected through a contractual arrangement carrying a $25,000 payment, which county discussions and records previously reviewed by the Tribune indicate was paid upfront. Hare resigned in April 2025 before completing the county budget. His departure came amid an acrimonious confrontation with then commissioners Andreas Blech, Chris Barnett and Ron Smith. Hare accused the

board of failing in its responsibilities and publicly called for the commissioners to resign. The political conflict surrounding his departure, however, left a separate financial matter unresolved: Josephine County had paid $25,000 for an assignment Hare did not finish. County officials subsequently confronted the question of recovering the payment. Public discussions established that the budget work remained incomplete, but the available record has not established that the $25,000 was returned. More than a year later, the county has not publicly produced documentation showing the matter has been financially settled. That unresolved accounting now accompanies Hare into another campaign for county office. Hare has previously addressed the controversy and offered his version of the circumstances surrounding his departure as budget officer. His explanation of the political conflict does not resolve the underlying accounting question. The county either received contractual work sufficient to justify the entire $25,000 payment, or some portion of that money remains subject to recovery. County records should be capable of establishing which is true. The Tribune has requested invoices, payment records, correspondence, contract amendments, legal notices and repayment communications that

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see SIMON, page 3

Oregon Wildfire Bill Surges Toward Record Territory

State Moves to Keep Fire Crews Paid

By Ellen Ward 2026 wildfire season is rapidly becoming one of the most expensive in state history, forcing state fire agencies back to Salem for hundreds of millions of dollars in financial authority as suppression expenses mount and federal reimbursements trail behind the bills already arriving from fire crews, contractors and local departments. For Southern Oregon, where wildfire has become an annual threat to communities, forests, businesses and transportation corridors, the financial decisions unfolding at the Capitol reach directly into the region’s ability to sustain an aggressive response when multiple fires compete for personnel, engines, aircraft and equipment. By Aug. 20, approximately 2.5 million acres had burned across Oregon and statewide wildfire costs had reached an estimated $236.2 million. The financial trajectory has placed 2026 alongside the record-setting 2024 season, when the Oregon Department of Forestry ultimately recorded $317.6 million in gross expenses and $134.4 million in net costs. ODF is now seeking approximately $77.9 million from two state emergency appropriations while requesting an additional $250 million in spending authority to process wildfire payments. The request includes $66.04 million from money reserved for natural disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery and another

$11.83 million designated for fire protection expenses. The $250 million request is not an additional appropriation of the same kind. It would increase ODF’s authority to process Other Funds expenditures associated with the 2026 season as invoices and reimbursements move through the state’s wildfire financing system. By Aug. 7, ODF alone had accumulated approximately $160.3 million in gross wildfire expenses. Its net costs had reached $110.5 million, already exceeding the amount immediately available through the state’s designated natural disaster appropriation. The Oregon State Fire Marshal is confronting its own mounting expenses. Agency documents prepared for September budget deliberations show approximately $25.1 million in estimat-

ed mobilization costs through July 27, covering conflagrations, immediate response and pre-positioning. OSFM is seeking $28 million from the September Emergency Board after receiving $7 million for the 2026 fire season earlier this year, bringing its proposed fire-season budget to $35 million. The escalating expense reflects the scale of the response on the ground. At peak activity, Oregon was managing seven active conflagrations with four incident management teams and 37 task forces operating from southwestern Oregon through central and eastern portions of the state, exceeding peak activity recorded during 2024. Low snowpack followed by repeated lightning outbreaks helped accelerate fire activity and suppression expenses during July. State financial

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see WILDFIRE, page 5

25th Anniversary of September 11 Attacks By John Oliver Southern Oregon will mark a quarter-century since the September 11 terrorist attacks Friday, with firefighters and residents gathering in Grants Pass and Ashland for public ceremonies commemorating the victims, first responders and events of September 11, 2001. The anniversary will be especially visible in Grants Pass, where a piece of the World Trade Center will be displayed at Reinhart Volunteer Park during Rural Metro Fire's annual 9/11 Patriot Day Track Walk. The event is scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m. at the park, 1690 SW Webster Road, and is open to the public. Local firefighters and emergency vehicles will assemble near the track as residents participate in the commemorative walk. American flags are encouraged, and attendance is not limited to those who want to walk. The park track is accessible to people with disabilities, allowing residents to participate in the observance from along the route as well. The World Trade Center artifact gives this year's Josephine County ceremony an uncommon connection to the attack site in Lower Manhattan. Twenty-five years after the Twin Towers were destroyed, a surviving piece of the complex will stand in a Grants Pass park surrounded by the firefighters, first responders and community members gathered for the anniversary. The walk follows the approximately 102 minutes between the first aircraft striking the World Trade Center and the collapse of the North Tower. It was during those minutes that four hijacked commercial airliners carried out attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, leaving scenes that would define one of the deadliest mornings in American history. American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center's North Tower at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time. United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower 17 minutes later. American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., while United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m. after passengers and crew mem-

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see SOUTHERN, page 11

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

LOCAL POLITICS Josephine County Weighs Juvenile Justice Funding as Jail Levy Moves Toward November Ballot By John Oliver Josephine County’s continuing effort to establish stable financing for its adult jail and juvenile detention system moved into another phase Tuesday, with county commissioners scheduled to examine the possible creation of a separate juvenile justice service district while a five-year public safety levy proceeds toward the November ballot. This report was prepared Tuesday ahead of publication Wednesday, with the Josephine County Board of Commissioners’ Administration Workshop scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Because the workshop occurred after the Tribune’s reporting deadline for this edition, final action and additional information resulting from the meeting were not available for inclusion. The Grants Pass Tribune will report the outcome and any additional county documents or decisions later this week as that information becomes available. The Tuesday workshop placed a proposed Special Service District for Juvenile Justice before county Legal Counsel. The agenda also included county finance business, personnel requisitions, committee appointment recommendations and preparation of arguments supporting a levy. The juvenile justice discussion follows months of county deliberations over how Josephine County should finance two costly components of its public safety system. Adult jail operations and juvenile detention have historically shared revenue from a voter-approved local option property tax, while financial projections presented during county discussions have raised questions about the ability of that arrangement to support both programs throughout another five-year levy cycle. For voters, the immediate question is already headed toward the November 3 election. Commissioners Ron Smith, Colene Martin and Gary Richardson unanimously approved Resolution No. 2026-031 in August, referring a five-year continuation of the Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Local Option Tax to Josephine County voters. The measure maintains the existing rate of 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. At an assessed value of approximately

$239,908, a figure county officials identified as the average assessed value of improved residential property during earlier discussions, the levy would amount to approximately $223 annually. The proposed tax would continue financing adult jail operations as its first funding priority, maintaining capacity for as many as 185 adults in custody and supporting the intake of people arrested in Josephine County. Revenue remaining after those obligations are met would be available to partially finance juvenile detention operations and associated administrative expenses. County officials considered another configuration before settling on the 93-cent proposal. An alternative discussed in August would have established an approximately 89-cent levy dedicated to the adult jail and removed juvenile detention from the ballot measure. Commissioners ultimately chose to retain the combined 93-cent structure while continuing their examination of a separate, longer-term financing system for juvenile services. That examination has brought the Special Service District proposal further into county discussions. Josephine County began publicly exploring a service district for juvenile detention earlier this

year as commissioners reviewed projections concerning the costs of maintaining both programs. Community Justice officials previously estimated that a tax rate capable of fully financing juvenile detention through a separate district could fall somewhere around 31 to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. No such tax has been approved. The service district discussion remains separate from the 93-cent measure going before voters in November. The county has not established a permanent tax rate for a juvenile justice district, nor has a separate district tax been placed before voters. Commissioners instead have directed Legal Counsel to examine the governmental structure and legal requirements that would accompany creation of such a district. If county officials ultimately pursue a district encompassing Grants Pass, Cave Junction and unincorporated Josephine County, additional governmental steps would be necessary. Previous county discussions have identified participation by the cities of Grants Pass and Cave Junction as part of establishing a countywide service structure. Any proposal seeking permanent property tax authority would also require voter approval before that tax

could be collected. The financial issue confronting the county extends beyond the mechanics of creating another governmental district. The existing 93-cent levy has helped finance the adult jail and juvenile detention for years, while operating expenses, staffing costs and other expenditures have continued to change. County officials have consequently examined whether the current arrangement can sustain both operations for another full five-year period without additional financial support. Those discussions have produced several approaches during the summer, including separating the jail from juvenile detention, maintaining the existing combined levy, supplementing juvenile services through other county resources and establishing a dedicated service district for juvenile justice. The commissioners ultimately retained the combined levy for the November election while leaving the longer-term juvenile financing question open. Tuesday’s workshop also placed levy advocacy before commissioners as the county moved further into the November election process. The board has already completed the central referral decision by sending the 93-cent measure to voters, while Legal Counsel has continued working on election documents associated with Resolution No. 2026-031. The November ballot measure and the service district proposal remain at different stages of the county process. Voters will decide whether the existing 93-cent Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Local Option Tax continues for another five years. The juvenile justice service district remains under consideration while county officials determine what governmental structure, financing mechanism and legal process could accompany such a proposal. Additional details from Tuesday’s commissioner workshop, including any direction given to Legal Counsel and any decisions affecting the levy or proposed juvenile justice district, will be reported by the Grants Pass Tribune later this week following review of the completed meeting and county records.

Simon Hare campaigning to become Josephine County Treasurer From page 1 could establish precisely what work was performed, what the county paid for and whether officials believe taxpayers are entitled to reimbursement. Until those records demonstrate otherwise, the documented sequence remains unchanged: Josephine County entered into a $25,000 arrangement with Hare to perform budget work, Hare resigned before completing the assignment, county officials subsequently addressed recovery of the money, and no public documentation reviewed by the Tribune establishes that the disputed payment has been returned. The controversy is not Hare’s first collision with public accountability during his years in Josephine County politics. While serving as a county commissioner in December 2015, Hare was arrested in Eugene on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving. Police reported that Hare drove his Toyota Tundra into the path of an officer, forcing the officer to brake to avoid a collision. Hare later announced that he would enter an outpatient treatment and diversion program. In a public statement following the arrest, Hare acknowledged that alcohol had contributed to poor decisions.

That episode followed another controversy involving suggestive text messages sent from another person’s telephone while Hare was at a Grants Pass establishment. Hare publicly apologized for the incident and described it as a prank that had gone wrong. His earlier record also included a 2013 investigation after Hare reported his Jeep stolen. A Medford police detective investigating the report concluded that Hare had made a false report, according to contemporaneous reporting. The Oregon Department of Justice ultimately determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges, and no prosecution resulted. Those episodes are part of Hare’s documented history in public office. They do not establish a present alcohol problem, nor does the Tribune have evidence sufficient to make such a claim. They do establish that Hare’s years in Josephine County government have included controversies involving personal judgment, public conduct and, more recently, an unresolved financial dispute involving taxpayer money. The Tribune has also obtained firsthand information offering possible explanations for why certain matters involving Hare and other former

county officials have remained unresolved. That information is not being published because the newspaper has not obtained sufficient independent evidence to substantiate those assertions. Speculation cannot substitute for documentation, regardless of how compelling an allegation may appear. The $25,000 payment requires no speculation. The contract existed. Josephine County made the payment. Hare accepted the budget assignment. He resigned before finishing it. County officials later confronted the question of recovering the money. The public record reviewed by the Tribune contains no documentation establishing that the disputed $25,000 has been repaid. Josephine County also carries responsibility for explaining how the arrangement was handled. County officials approved the contract and authorized public money for the assignment. If the entire payment was earned despite Hare’s departure before completion of the budget, the county can document that conclusion. If all or part of the money remains owed, officials can identify the amount and disclose what has been done to recover it.

Hare can provide the same clarity from the other side of the transaction. Contract records, completed work, invoices, correspondence or evidence of repayment could establish his position without political argument or competing interpretations. Instead, a county financial transaction that should be traceable through ordinary government records remains unsettled in the public record while the person who received the money campaigns for an office responsible for county finances. Hare’s candidacy consequently brings his tenure as budget officer back before Josephine County residents not as a piece of forgotten political history, but as unfinished county business. The $25,000 controversy has now survived Hare’s resignation, more than a year of county government and another election season. The central question has never required political theater or speculation. Josephine County paid Hare $25,000 for a budget assignment he did not complete, and the public record available to the Tribune still does not document the return of that money. For a candidate seeking the office of Josephine County Treasurer, that is a financial record voters are entitled to examine before November.

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

RELENTLESS HEROES 13TH ANNUAL DEVASTATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT Saturday, September 19, 2026 Grants Pass Golf Club Shotgun Start • 9:00 A.M.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Support Southern Oregon veterans while showcasing your business to hundreds of golfers, families, and community members during one of Josephine County’s premier annual charity golf tournaments. • Sponsorships help Relentless Heroes continue providing emergency assistance and essential support to local veterans when they need it most. Your partnership directly helps fund programs that assist veterans facing unexpected hardships throughout Southern Oregon. • Businesses may also contribute raffle prizes, silent auction items, or other event donations to help maximize fundraising efforts. • Join the growing list of local businesses making a difference for those who have served our country. • Become a sponsor today and stand with our local veterans.

GOLFERS & TEAMS Gather your friends, coworkers, or family and register your team for a day of golf in support of Southern Oregon veterans. • Tw0-Person Team Entry: $250 • Enjoy a fun-filled day featuring golf, contests, raffles, silent auction opportunities, awards, food, and community fellowship while helping raise funds that stay right here in Southern Oregon. • Whether you’re an experienced golfer or simply looking to support a great cause, every swing helps make a difference. • Please remember: Collared shirts are required for all players. • Space is limited, so teams are encouraged to register early.

“EVERY VETERAN, EVERY DAY” Relentless Heroes is a Southern Oregon nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emergency assistance and support to veterans throughout our region.

For sponsorship information, player registration, or volunteer opportunities, visit:

www.RelentlessHeroes.org

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

OREGON

Southern Oregon Hospitals Earn National Recognition for Quality and Community Access By Ellen Ward Two Southern Oregon hospitals have secured national recognition for health care quality, patient service and community access, placing medical centers in Medford and Grants Pass among hospitals receiving honors from two prominent national publications. Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford and Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass have each been named among Forbes’ Top Hospitals by State, giving the regional health system two Oregon facilities represented in the publication’s assessment of hospital performance. The recognition carries particular relevance across Southern Oregon, where both hospitals serve communities extending well beyond their respective cities. Rogue Regional functions as a major medical center for patients throughout the Rogue Valley and surrounding areas, while Three Rivers provides hospital services in Josephine County and the Grants Pass area. Both medical centers qualified for consideration on Forbes’ state hospital list after previously receiving a Forbes Overall Hospital Quality Rating as part of the publication’s national hospital evaluation earlier this year. Hospitals were required to earn that national quality rating before becoming eligible for the state-level recognition. Rogue Regional received an additional national honor from U.S. News & World Report, earning its Best Regional Hospitals for Community Access designation. According to information released Tuesday, Sept. 8, Rogue Regional was the only Oregon hospital to receive the designation and one of 73 hospitals

nationwide selected for the recognition. The U.S. News designation evaluates hospitals that combine health care quality with a demonstrated ability to serve populations that include underserved and vulnerable patients within their communities. For Southern Oregon, where patients can travel considerable distances from rural communities for specialized medical treatment, access to regional hospital services remains an important component of the area’s health care network. “These recognitions reflect the dedication and expertise of our physicians, nurses and caregivers, whose commitment to serving our communities makes achievements like these possible,” Rogue Regional Medical Center CEO Jon Cooper said. “We are honored to be recognized by both Forbes and U.S. News and proud

of the exceptional care our teams provide every day.” Rogue Regional and Three Rivers operate within Asante’s Southern Oregon health care system, providing hospital and medical services to communities across the region. Their placement in the national and state evaluations arrives as hospitals continue confronting growing demand for medical services while working to maintain access for patients who may otherwise face lengthy travel for treatment. The recognition of Three Rivers also places a Grants Pass medical institution within the national hospital assessment, bringing the Forbes designation directly to Josephine County. For a community whose hospital serves patients from Grants Pass and surrounding rural

areas, the national rating provides an additional measurement of the facility’s performance within Oregon’s broader hospital system. Three Rivers Medical Center CEO Patrick Sharp credited employees throughout the hospital for the achievement. “Being recognized by nationally respected organizations is a testament to our team’s unwavering focus on service and excellence,” Sharp said. “These awards affirm our Mission and improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve.” Asante said the health system remains focused on expanding access to medical services, improving patient outcomes and providing care within the region as demand continues to increase. The latest honors place both Rogue Regional and Three Rivers within national conversations about hospital quality while giving Southern Oregon two recognized facilities serving distinctly different population centers. Rogue Regional’s additional community-access designation extends that recognition further, identifying the Medford hospital among a relatively small group nationwide acknowledged for combining medical care with access for populations facing greater barriers to health services. For residents from Josephine County through the Rogue Valley and neighboring rural communities, the recognition brings national attention to two hospitals responsible for a substantial share of the region’s medical care and reinforces Southern Oregon’s presence within statewide and national evaluations of hospital performance.

Wildfire Bill Surges Toward Record Territory as State Moves to Keep Fire Crews Paid

From page 1

analysts expect the season to continue through late September or early October, leaving the final cost unresolved while Oregon continues paying for active operations. Southern Oregon occupies a particularly important position in that system. ODF protection districts and local fire agencies throughout Josephine, Jackson, Douglas, Klamath, Curry and neighboring counties form part of the statewide network that attacks new fires, supplies resources to larger incidents and participates in mobilizations when local capacity is exceeded. During periods of simultaneous fire activity, resources can be shifted across district and county boundaries as the state attempts to prevent new starts from becoming major incidents. Federal assistance reduces some of Oregon’s ultimate financial exposure but does not eliminate the state’s immediate responsibility for the bills. Fire Management Assistance Grants administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency can reimburse as much as 75 percent of eligible firefighting expenses for qualifying incidents. Those expenses can include equipment, supplies, field camps and costs associated with mobilizing and demobilizing resources. Oregon has secured multiple federal fire assistance grants this season, including federal authorization for the Wrights Spring Fire in Klamath County and on Klamath Tribes land. At the time federal assistance was requested, the fire threatened homes around Sprague River and Chiloquin

along with utility, communications, railroad, recreation and cultural resources. Federal approval, however, does not place reimbursement money immediately into Oregon’s accounts. Claims must be documented, reviewed and processed, and federal reimbursements can take months or longer to reach the state. That delay was a major component of Oregon’s 2024 wildfire financial crisis. Contractors and other vendors waited months for payment while state agencies carried enormous suppression expenses and awaited reimbursement. Oregon eventually convened a special legislative session to stabilize wildfire finances and provide money necessary to pay outstanding obligations. The experience changed the way the state finances major fires. Under legislation enacted in 2025, ODF can borrow from the Oregon State Treasury to cover suppression costs while appropriations and federal reimbursements remain outstanding. ODF has submitted documentation outlining the need for Treasury financing sufficient to maintain agency operations and vendor payments through December. The mechanism is designed to prevent the state’s accounting timetable from becoming a financial burden for the businesses and people already performing the work. Wildland firefighting contractors, equipment operators, aviation companies and other vendors incur payroll, fuel, maintenance and operating expenses while deployed. Delayed state payments can therefore move the

financial pressure from Salem directly onto private companies and local organizations waiting to be compensated. That concern carries particular weight in Southern Oregon, where private contractors and local fire organizations are deeply embedded in the regional wildfire response system. The availability of engines, heavy equipment, aircraft and trained personnel can become critical when lightning storms produce multiple starts or major incidents exhaust local resources. The financial effects of wildfire also extend beyond suppression. Wildlife areas, hunting access, recreation, timberlands, ranches and public lands have experienced closures or restrictions during the 2026 season. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has offered controlled-hunt preference-point reinstatement in areas where wildfire damage or closures substantially affected hunting opportunities. The agency evaluates the amount of a hunt area burned, access conditions, habitat damage and the length of the remaining hunting season when making those determinations. Those disruptions carry economic consequences in rural communities where hunting, fishing, camping, forestry and outdoor recreation contribute to seasonal commerce. They also create costs that are not necessarily reflected in the state’s headline suppression totals, including damaged habitat, rehabilitation work, lost recreational access and recovery on burned public lands.

Oregon’s Emergency Board is scheduled to consider ODF’s request Thursday, Sept. 10. State fiscal analysts have recommended approval of the department’s $66.04 million natural-disaster allocation, $11.83 million fire-protection allocation and $250 million increase in expenditure authority. The numbers before the state are interim figures rather than a final accounting. Fires remain active, invoices continue arriving and reimbursement claims will continue moving through state and federal systems long after crews leave the fire lines. What is already apparent in the financial records is the extraordinary scale of 2026. Oregon entered the season with a system redesigned after the payment failures of 2024, only to encounter another year in which suppression expenses accelerated faster than immediately available fire funding. For Southern Oregon fire districts, contractors and communities surrounded by some of the state’s most fire-prone landscapes, the decisions now moving through Salem will help determine whether Oregon can continue financing an extended wildfire response without repeating the delayed payments that followed its previous record season. The flames determine where the emergency begins. The increasingly expensive task facing the state is making certain the financial system can keep pace with the people sent to fight them.

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

OREGON Roseburg Chooses Anette Spickard to Lead City Government After Nationwide Search By Bryce Robinson A nationwide search for Roseburg's next chief administrator has ended with the selection of Anette Spickard, an experienced Western municipal executive whose Oregon government career stretches back decades and who will return to the state this fall to take charge of Douglas County's largest city. The Roseburg City Council authorized the mayor Sept. 2 to complete an employment agreement with Spickard, bringing months of recruitment and deliberations toward a close following the June retirement of longtime City Manager Nikki Messenger. Spickard, currently city manager in Sedona, Arizona, is scheduled to take office Nov. 30. Her arrival will transfer executive control of Roseburg's municipal operations from Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein, who has carried the additional responsibilities of city manager since July 1. Klopfenstein is expected to remain in the interim position through November before returning his full attention to leadership of the Roseburg Police Department. Spickard was selected from a national applicant pool of 42 candidates assembled through a recruitment conducted with GMP Consultants. Council members reviewed 13 semifinalists before narrowing the competition to six finalists for a two-day interview process involving elected officials, city employees and community representatives. Among those competing for the position was former Medford City Manager Robert Field, placing a familiar Southern Oregon administrator among a field drawn from governments around the country. Roseburg ultimately turned to Spickard, whose career combines Oregon county and municipal government with city management assignments in Idaho and Arizona. She will return to Oregon with more than 25 years of public-service experience and a professional history rooted heavily in the state. Spickard worked in Lane County government as an accountant and budget analyst before advancing through the county assessor's office, eventually serving as deputy assessor and elected Lane County assessor. She later moved into senior municipal work with the City of Springfield before leaving Oregon in 2018 to become city manager in McCall, Idaho. Sedona hired Spickard as city manager in 2024. There she has directed a municipal organization of more than 200 employees and managed approximately $100 million in public spending while overseeing an administrative portfolio extending through public safety, transportation, housing, infrastructure, wildfire resilience and the pressures associated with managing a heavily visited Western city. Roseburg will place a similarly broad government operation under her direction. The city serves approximately 24,000 residents and operates with 176 full-time-equivalent employees. Its fiscal 2025-26 budget totals approximately $113.9 million, financing services that reach from police and fire protection to streets, public works, planning, parks, recreation, finance, municipal court operations and the public library. Spickard will occupy the administrative position connecting those departments to the policy and financial decisions made by the mayor and City Council. Roseburg's coun-

cil-manager government leaves legislative and policy authority with the elected council while assigning execution of those decisions and management of the municipal workforce to the city manager. That authority gives the incoming manager an immediate role in some of Roseburg's largest continuing responsibilities. Public-safety spending, employee compensation, infrastructure investment, development, housing and long-range financial planning all pass through an organization that will soon operate under new executive management. Public safety carries particular weight in the transition because Roseburg has spent the summer with its police chief simultaneously occupying the city manager's office. Klopfenstein's temporary assignment maintained continuity after Messenger's departure, but it also placed responsibility for the

entire municipal organization on an official whose permanent position is command of the city's police department. Spickard's Nov. 30 arrival will end that arrangement. Her previous work also brings wildfire administration into the experience she carries back to Oregon. Sedona operates in an environment where wildfire preparation and resilience are persistent municipal concerns, and those responsibilities have been part of Spickard's city management portfolio. Douglas County faces its own recurring exposure to large wildfires, where city fire services can operate within much larger responses involving county agencies, rural districts and state and federal resources. Financial management will be equally prominent when the transition occurs. Roseburg is moving through a comprehensive compensation examination covering its nonrepresented workforce, with approximately 40 employees across 30 classifications included in the review. The work is examining salary structures, job classifications, internal compensation relationships and comparisons with other Oregon public employers. Spickard will also arrive with formal training in public administration and business management. She earned a bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington and has attained credentialed manager status through the International City/County Management Association. Roseburg advertised the position with an annual salary range between $185,500 and $220,000, based on qualifications.

Spickard's base salary has been reported at $210,000, in addition to benefits. The council's recruitment process encountered a procedural problem before the final selection. City officials disclosed that an Aug. 6 executive session connected to the city manager search had not been included in the required public meeting notice. Roseburg acknowledged the omission and began reviewing its notification procedures. The city determined that the notice problem did not automatically invalidate the meeting or subsequent council action. The selection process continued through additional scheduled proceedings before council members returned to open session Sept. 2 and authorized the employment agreement. Spickard will have nearly three months between her selection and first day in Roseburg, leaving Klopfenstein responsible for keeping the city's administrative work moving through the fall. The extended transition also gives Roseburg time to prepare for a permanent manager whose career began in Oregon government before taking her through executive posts elsewhere in the West. When that transition concludes Nov. 30, Roseburg will be placing more than a new name in the city manager's office. A municipal government with a budget approaching $114 million, nearly 180 full-time-equivalent employees and responsibility for the essential services of Douglas County's largest city will return to permanent executive management, while the police chief who has carried both assignments since July returns exclusively to the city's public-safety command.

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

ECONOMY Diesel Surge Sends New Costs Through Oregon’s Transportation Economy By Ellen Ward Oregon’s transportation economy is absorbing another sharp increase in diesel costs, placing considerably more expensive fuel into the tanks of commercial trucks, farm machinery, construction equipment and diesel vehicles at a time when the movement of goods remains inseparable from the state’s broader cost of doing business. The statewide average for diesel reached $6.261 per gallon Tuesday, September 8, climbing from $5.878 one week earlier and $5.502 a month ago. A year ago, Oregon diesel averaged $4.475 per gallon. The difference amounts to nearly $1.79 per gallon over 12 months, an increase of approximately 40 percent. Southern Oregon is carrying some of the highest prices in the state. Diesel in Grants Pass averaged $6.382 Tuesday, compared with $5.586 a month earlier and $4.531 a year ago. The Medford Ashland market stood at $6.430, up from $5.553 last month and $4.550 one year earlier. Eugene Springfield averaged $6.306, Bend stood at $6.296 and Pendleton reached $6.281. The escalation has developed with unusual speed. Oregon’s statewide diesel average has increased approximately 76 cents per gallon in one month. Grants Pass has experienced an increase approaching 80 cents during the same period, while Medford Ashland has climbed approximately 88 cents. Those increases are entering an Oregon economy that depends extensively upon diesel transportation. Interstate 5 serves as the principal north south commercial corridor through western Oregon, connecting Southern Oregon with the Willamette Valley, Portland, California and the interstate freight network. Interstate 84 performs a similarly important function across northern and eastern Oregon. Trucks traveling those corridors carry groceries, construction materials, machinery, agricultural commodities, timber products, manufactured goods and merchandise destined for communities throughout the state. For commercial carriers, the mathematics become substantial long before diesel reaches the consumer. A 150 gallon purchase at the current Grants Pass average costs approximately $957. At the local average recorded one year ago, the same amount of diesel would have cost about $680. The difference is approximately $277 for one purchase of 150 gallons. Commercial trucks consuming thousands of gallons over the course of regular operations multiply that difference rapidly. Fuel represents

one of the major variable expenses in trucking, and sustained increases can be incorporated into freight rates and fuel surcharges. Those transportation expenses can subsequently become part of the delivered cost of commodities moving through warehouses, distribution centers, retailers and other businesses. The consequences are not confined to long haul trucking. Oregon agriculture relies upon diesel for tractors, harvesting equipment, irrigation operations and transportation of crops and livestock. Timber and forestry operations use diesel powered machinery in environments where alternative power sources are often impractical. Construction companies operate excavators, loaders, generators and heavy trucks. Local delivery fleets, excavation companies and numerous independent contractors encounter the same underlying fuel expense on a smaller scale. Federal petroleum data show that Oregon is participating in a much larger West Coast diesel market experiencing exceptional price pressure. For the week ending August 31, the U.S. Energy Information Administration placed the national on highway diesel average at $5.599 per gallon. The West Coast average was substantially higher at $6.497. That federal measurement placed West Coast diesel approximately $2.01 per gallon above its level one year earlier. Excluding California, the regional average was $5.872. California stood at $7.218, demonstrating the pronounced regional disparity between western fuel markets and much of the remainder of the country. International petroleum conditions are an important component of the increase. Crude oil markets and refined petroleum products have

faced volatility associated with geopolitical conflict, uncertainty involving petroleum shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions affecting refining and petroleum infrastructure overseas. Diesel is particularly sensitive to constraints in the global market for distillate fuels because the same general petroleum category supports freight transportation, industrial activity, agriculture and other energy intensive operations around the world. The Strait of Hormuz occupies an especially important position in international petroleum commerce because a substantial portion of global oil consumption moves through the narrow shipping corridor connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Disruption, reduced tanker traffic or the prospect of prolonged instability can affect crude oil pricing well beyond the Middle East, eventually reaching refineries, wholesale fuel markets and retail stations thousands of miles away. Oregon’s own fuel cost structure also contributes to what motorists ultimately pay, although state taxes do not account for the rapid increase recorded during the past month. Oregon imposes a 40 cent per gallon state use fuel tax on petroleum diesel, biodiesel and renewable diesel. That statewide rate has been in effect since January 2024 rather than being introduced during the current price escalation. Certain local jurisdictions impose additional fuel taxes. Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program adds another component to the state’s fuel marketplace. The program establishes declining carbon intensity standards for transportation fuels and creates credits and deficits based upon the carbon characteristics of fuels sold in Oregon.

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State calculations have previously measured the program’s average compliance cost for diesel in cents per gallon. Those expenses form part of Oregon’s overall fuel structure but are considerably smaller than the price movement recorded during the current escalation. The speed and magnitude of the latest increase therefore cannot be attributed to a single Oregon tax, regulation or government action. Retail diesel prices combine crude oil costs, refining expenses, transportation and distribution, regional supply conditions, taxes, regulatory expenses and retail margins. International energy markets can alter several of those components simultaneously. Geography adds another economic consideration for Oregon. The state stretches more than 350 miles from its northern boundary to California, while many rural communities sit considerable distances from major distribution centers. Businesses serving communities in Southern, Central and Eastern Oregon frequently depend upon highway transportation for both incoming inventory and outgoing products. That dependence makes diesel an economic input extending well beyond the service station sign. A grocery shipment arriving in Grants Pass, a load of construction materials traveling to Bend, agricultural equipment operating near Klamath Falls or a freight truck crossing the Blue Mountains all incorporate fuel into the cost of moving products or performing work. Businesses determine individually how much of an increase can be absorbed, offset elsewhere or incorporated into the prices charged for transportation, goods and services. Current prices are also approaching historic territory in several Oregon markets. Grants Pass recorded its highest average diesel price at $6.824 in July 2022. Medford Ashland reached a record $6.722 in June 2022. Eugene Springfield peaked at $6.591 during the same period. Current Southern Oregon averages remain below those records, but the gap has narrowed considerably following the latest increase. Oregon now enters September with diesel costs substantially above their levels of one month and one year ago, while West Coast federal data continue to show considerably higher prices than the national average. For a state whose farms, forests, construction sites, distribution networks and rural communities remain heavily dependent upon diesel powered transportation, the movement of fuel prices is increasingly becoming part of the operating cost attached to moving Oregon’s economy from one destination to the next.

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GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

COMMUNITY Salmon Take Center Stage Saturday as Applegate Valley Opens a Window Into River Life By John Oliver The return of salmon to the Applegate River will become an outdoor classroom Saturday as families, biologists, conservation organizations and community volunteers gather at the Provolt Recreation Site for an afternoon devoted to the fish, wildlife and river habitat of Southern Oregon. See Our Salmon & Friends will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bureau of Land Management recreation area at 14171 Williams Highway, approximately 15 miles southeast of Grants Pass. The free event brings the public directly to a section of the Applegate where salmon habitat, public recreation and years of restoration work converge along the river. The Bureau of Land Management, Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council and Provolt Volunteer Team are organizing the event with participation from regional conservation and educational organizations. Activities will include salmon viewing, educational exhibits, tours of habitat restoration projects, aquatic insect exploration, children's activities and presentations centered

on the river and the species that depend upon it. The timing corresponds with one of the Applegate Valley's most recognizable natural cycles. Salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean move through the Rogue River system and into tributaries to reproduce, carrying out a migration that connects the Oregon Coast with inland streams across southwestern Oregon. Provolt provides an unusually accessible location for observing that river system. Williams Creek meets the Applegate River near the recreation site, where flatter, meandering water provides spawning habitat for coho and Chinook salmon. Pacific lamprey are also found in the area, while the Applegate and its tributaries support steelhead and an assortment of other native aquatic species. The 294-acre property carries a history that reaches well beyond its present recreational use. Once part of a dairy farm, the land was acquired by BLM in 1982 and subsequently operated as a Douglas fir seed orchard supporting reforestation efforts. The seed orchard ceased operation in 2006, and the property gradually moved toward a

combination of public recreation, environmental education and habitat restoration. That transformation has substantially altered portions of the river corridor. Since 2016, the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council and BLM have conducted extensive nonchemical removal of invasive vegetation and planted more than 17,000 native trees and shrubs within the riparian area. In-stream projects have also been completed to improve aquatic habitat for native fish. Portions of that work will be visible during Saturday's restoration tours, giving visitors an opportunity to examine the physical changes taking place along the river. Native vegetation along a river does considerably more than change the landscape's appearance. Trees and shrubs stabilize streambanks, provide shade, contribute organic material to aquatic ecosystems and eventually supply woody material that can create pools and sheltered areas used by juvenile fish. Floodplain connections and side channels can provide slower-water habitat where young salmon and steelhead can feed and find refuge from stronger currents. Those conditions carry particular importance for coho salmon. Southern Oregon and Northern California Coast coho are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, and restoration efforts throughout the Applegate watershed include projects designed to improve spawning and juvenile rearing habitat, reconnect floodplains and side channels, restore streamside vegetation and improve passage between sections of the watershed. The work extends beyond Provolt. Projects throughout the Applegate system have addressed irrigation structures, aging barriers and altered stream channels that can impede fish movement or reduce access to productive habitat. Restoration planning elsewhere along the Applegate River includes efforts to reconnect former side channels and floodplain habitat, place large woody material in waterways and restore native vegetation. Fish passage improvements have also been undertaken around Williams Creek and other tributaries. The objective across those projects is to make additional habitat accessible to coho and Chinook salmon, summer and winter steelhead, Pacific lamprey and other native species that use the watershed at different stages of their lives. The Applegate's fish populations also exist within a river system substantially altered by dams and water development. Applegate Dam blocked access to historic upstream habitat, while hatchery production elsewhere in the Rogue Basin has become part of the region's fisheries management system. The Oregon Department of

Fish and Wildlife operates programs producing Chinook, coho and steelhead for the Rogue and Applegate systems as part of management efforts associated with habitat lost following construction of Applegate and William L. Jess dams. Saturday's event brings those larger fisheries issues down to river level, where visitors can examine insects living in the water, learn how fish use different portions of a stream and walk through restoration areas where native vegetation has been reestablished. The location itself has become an increasingly active community resource. Provolt contains the longest continuous stretch of public access to the Applegate River, according to the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council. Its milelong River Walk accommodates hikers, bicyclists and equestrians, while the property also includes a boat launch, swimming access and additional trails through portions of the former seed orchard. Community volunteers have played a substantial role in maintaining that public access. The Provolt Volunteer Team performs trail work, removes invasive vegetation, installs recreational amenities, constructs wildlife structures and assists with operation of the site. The property is now open seven days a week for day use, with seasonal opening hours and gates closing at sunset. Environmental education has become another major component of Provolt. The site hosts outdoor learning programs involving students who participate in scientific field studies, ecological monitoring and service projects connected with habitat restoration. BLM also maintains a Junior Ranger program for Provolt, introducing younger visitors to riparian habitat, native wildlife and the ecological functions of the Applegate River. The wildlife story extends well beyond salmon. Riparian and upland habitat around Provolt supports western pond turtles, Siskiyou salamanders, beavers, martens, ringtails and numerous bird species. The river and its tributaries provide habitat for Pacific lamprey, while the surrounding vegetation creates feeding, nesting and travel corridors for terrestrial wildlife. See Our Salmon & Friends combines those elements into a single community event during the fall salmon migration. Instead of placing fisheries science behind a classroom desk, Saturday's program puts the river, its wildlife and the restoration work within walking distance. For Southern Oregon families, the result is a free afternoon along the Applegate with an opportunity to watch one of the region's oldest natural migrations while exploring the work underway to preserve the waterways that make that journey possible.

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

GRANTS PASS TRIBUNE

COMMUNITY GRANTS PASS WEATHER 5 DAY OUTLOOK SOURCE: WEATHER.COM

WEDNESDAY

Southern Oregon to Gather Friday for 25th Anniversary of September 11 Attacks From page 1 bers attempted to overpower the hijackers. The attacks killed 2,977 victims, excluding the 19 hijackers. The death toll included 343 New York City firefighters, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers, along with airline passengers and crews, military and civilian personnel at the Pentagon and thousands of people working in and around the World Trade Center. Southern Oregon's observance will extend into Jackson County, where Ashland Fire & Rescue is preparing a separate ceremony Friday morning. The 9/11 Remembrance and Painting Dedication Ceremony will run from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Ashland Fire Station 1, 455 Siskiyou Boulevard. The public event will commemorate the anniversary while incorporating the dedication of a painting at the station. Fire stations have remained prominent gathering places for September 11 ceremonies across the country because of the

extraordinary losses suffered by emergency services that morning. Firefighters climbed the stairwells of the World Trade Center towers as civilians descended toward the streets, and hundreds of emergency personnel were still conducting rescue operations when the buildings collapsed. Friday's ceremonies arrive with September 11 crossing a generational boundary. Twenty-five years now separate the Rogue Valley from the morning of the attacks. Residents who were young adults in 2001 are approaching or have entered middle age, children who watched the events unfold are now adults with families of their own, and an increasing share of the community was not yet born. The anniversary nevertheless remains embedded in the nation's civic calendar. September 11 is federally designated Patriot Day, with American flags lowered to half-staff and ceremonies conducted by government agencies, emergency services, veterans organizations and communities

throughout the United States. In Southern Oregon, the anniversary will be marked without a large centralized regional ceremony. Instead, the Rogue Valley's confirmed public commemorations will take place within the communities themselves, beginning at Ashland's Fire Station 1 and continuing at Reinhart Volunteer Park in Grants Pass. For Josephine County residents, the Grants Pass ceremony offers a particularly tangible encounter with the history being commemorated. The piece of World Trade Center steel that will be displayed Friday survived a site where two 110-story towers once dominated the Manhattan skyline and where firefighters, police officers and civilians died by the thousands. It will be nearly 3,000 miles from New York when it goes on display in Grants Pass. Twenty-five years after September 11, Southern Oregon's firefighters and residents will gather around it Friday morning.

Mostly sunny 95/54

THURSDAY

Mostly sunny 90/52

FRIDAY Partly cloudy 83/46

SATURDAY Partly cloudy 69/46

SUNDAY Sunny 73/45

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Wednesday, September 9, 2026

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