FORUM REVIEW: JUNE
Presenting the 2022-2023 Jackson County Budget & Status of Unlawful Cannabis Activity Speakers: Danny Jordan, Jackson County Administrator; Alicia Brown, Jackson County Code Enforcement Division Manager. Spon- sored by: Jackson County
J une’s Forum focused on two important topics for Jackson County — the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and the state of emergency related to illegal marijuana grows. Danny Jordan, Jackson County Administrator, started the presentation by discussing the current year’s budget and what lies ahead for the next fiscal year. As in prior years, Jackson County was audited by Moss Adams and received another clean report. “Jackson County is in a strong financial position,” said Jordan. According to the report from Moss Adams, the county’s revenue has been consistently increasing over the past four years. There was also an increase in expenses, but nothing beyond what is considered normal. Additionally, the county’s general fund and cash investments increased, but this was due in part to COVID-19 funds they received because of the pandemic. Jordan continued by detailing the four types of revenue the county has: 1) operating revenue, which is constant and predictable; 2) non-operating, which includes fund balances, windfalls and reserves; 3) dedicated funds used for a specific purpose; and 4) non-dedicated funds which have discretionary uses. “Dedicated non-operating funds is the largest part of the budget,” he added. He explained that the general fund for this year’s budget was $96 million, with about $107 million earmarked for the 2022-20223 fiscal year. “Our budget continues to grow because the county is doing a great job saving money. This has allowed us to do several projects that we paid for without seeking money from other sources,” he explained. Jordan then switched the focus of the presentation to illegal cannabis grows. He started by discussing when Measure 91 passed in 2014, which legalized marijuana. After Measure 91 passed, the production and processing of cannabis resulted in significant impacts to Jackson
Danny Jordan, Jackson County Administrator
Alicia Brown, Jackson County Code Enforcement Division Manager
County in regards to water laws and enforcement, and has jeopardized public health and safety to a degree. To make matters worse, passage of Measure 110 dramatically reduced revenue to Jackson County through the distribution of shared proceeds from the statewide tax on the retail sale of marijuana. Jordan then turned the presentation over to Alicia Brown, Jackson County Code Enforcement Division Manager. She gave the audience a “boots on the ground” overview of what code enforcement encounters when they go to illegal marijuana grow sites.
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The Business Review | July 2022
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