Is Section 7 of Chapter 3 in the proposed charter legal?

(Section 7. COMPENSATION AND COMMISSION EXPENSES County Commissioners shall serve without salary and without benefits. As recognition for the service rendered by the County Commissioners, each shall serve with a stipend equal to 15 percent of the Circuit Court Judge salary.)

If Measure 17-116 passes and Commissioner John West stays at his present rate of pay until the next election, is the county lawfully obligated to pay the other four commissioners the same rate of pay? This pertains to what Mr. West refers to as the "Equal Pay Law".

Measure 17-116 makes your county government more efficient and responsive. This won’t happen overnight, of course, but it will bring about the changes needed to keep our county government running smoothly in the background of our lives instead of churning in the headlines with unnecessary drama.

Josephine County’s current system allows just two ideological people to set a dark tone of negativity in the community that discourages innovation, creativity and cooperation. Good governance won’t happen as long as we have a system that concentrates power in too few hands and rewards partisan behavior.

A more efficient and fair county government establishes a positive attitude toward the future which attracts businesses and talented people who can help grow the economy.

Here is what John West and others have listed:

1. Takes out 2^nd Amendment protection, Josephine County will no longer be a 2^nd Amendment safe zoneRemoves protecting freedom of speech and religion
2. Allows strip clubs to be located near churches, parks schools and your home
3. Does away with county support for Animal Control. County buildings and maintenance will no longer be supplied
4. The library will no longer be supported. Support for library buildings and county maintenance has been removed.

Voting power belongs to those who vote and Measure 17-116 makes little difference in that power. Currently voters only vote for three commissioners. They will still be able to vote for two, with better representation for their particular areas. And nothing in the charter prevents someone who lives in one district from campaigning for someone running from another district.  Candidates can better afford to run in a district instead of the entire county and it would be easier to recall one that fails at the job, keeping them on their toes. So that is a more concentrated voting power. Josephine County is the only county in Oregon that has an elected legal counsel and surveyor. These are jobs that require education and expertise.  Elections can be popularity contests that don’t guarantee the county would get people properly qualified for these jobs. Also, these positions require a lot of time and usually have on-going cases. Running for election consumes time and money, something people at this level shouldn’t have to do. If they are not doing their job an unelected official can be fired. The public wouldn’t have to put up with that person until the next election.