PROVIDING NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
A Fiscal Year Update and Discussion of Upcoming County Projects at the June Chamber of Medford & Jackson County Forum Speaker: Danny Jordan, Jackson County Administrator Sponsored by: Jackson County T his month’s Forum updated attendees on the state of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, and plans for a multi- use pandemic response center. Danny Jordan, centrally located, accessible from the I-5 and near public
Jackson County Administrator, started the presentation by discussing the 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 remains in a strong financial position,” said Jordan. According to the report from Moss Adams, the county continues to receive money in the form of grants and contributions. Much of that came from pandemic relief money and ARPA funding. The total overall revenue has grown over the past few years, with a slight dip in 2020. Revenue currently stands at $214 million in 2022. County-wide expenses have remained flat for a few years, which is partly because of leftover reserve funding. 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. 4) Non-dedicated funds which have discretionary uses. “Dedicated non-operating funds are the largest part of the budget, with dedicated operating just behind it,” he added. He explained that the general fund reserves are approximately $119 million in the fiscal year 2023-2024 adopted budget. The current fiscal year of 2022-2023 was projected at about $107 million. Jordan then switched the focus of the presentation to describe the plans for a multi-use pandemic response center, which would be located in Central Point at the Jackson County Expo. This site was chosen because it’s
transportation routes. “The response center would be a partnership between Jackson County, the Jackson County Fair Board and the City of Central Point,” he said. It would be funded using a combination
Danny Jordan, Jackson County Administrato r
of money from ARPA, Jackson County and Central Point. Once
complete, the response center would be about 23,000 square feet. According to Jordan, the primary purpose for the new project would be as a centralized response center. “During the pandemic,” he said, “we saw this type of infrastructure is critical for our region.” At the time, Jackson County lacked an indoor facility of sufficient size for a vaccination clinic or to conduct walk- in tests. Additionally, the drive-in clinic failed to serve all segments of the community, including the elderly and economically disadvantaged. However, the resource center would offer a variety of community services when not being utilized during a pandemic or emergency. It would be a gym space for local sports, facility for sports tournaments, a place for conventions and training events, and somewhere to host Expo and fairgrounds events. The project is currently in the design phase and Jackson County will take bids in the first quarter of 2024. With construction starting shortly after a bid is accepted, the goal is to have the resource center completed in the first quarter of 2026. n
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The Business Review | August 2023
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