Autumn is fully in its glory. I love seeing all the brilliant color changes. The temperature is gradually decreasing, daylight is noticeably shorter, and the rain has come. The crisp autumn mornings and bursting colors remind me to keep my eyes open and cherish and care for this beautiful world we live in.
There are lots of events happening at this time of year starting with Halloween Oct. 31, Election Day Nov. 5, and then moving into celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hannukah. And yes, and don’t forget the Grand Opening of our new and improved Library on Nov. 9.
The availability of affordable housing is decreasing in cities throughout the state, including Cave Junction. The city is considering allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on single family residences inside city limits. An ADU is an attached or detached small dwelling that has a minimum of 400 square feet and not more than 800 square feet. I will keep you posted about this potential option that homeowners can take advantage of to help increase access to affordable housing in our community.
This is also the time of the year when the property tax bills are sent out. I just opened my 2024-2025 property tax statement and noticed that there is a 15% increase over last year’s property tax. It was a bit of a surprise, so I went to the Josephine County Assessor’s Office website. It reminded me that voters outside the City of Grants Pass passed a measure in November 2023 that created a new law enforcement service district. Under that measure a permanent tax rate of 0.99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value was instituted. This is a 12% increase from what most taxpayers in the county have become accustomed to. By adding in the 3% statutory increase, taxpayers see a 15% year-over-year increase this year. Our taxes pay for a lot of important and necessary services in our county and city including education, the I.V. Rural Fire Department, County Animal Control, our library district, law enforcement and jail, and the City of Cave Junction. These are all important and vital services that keep our city and community a safe and comfortable place to live. So, I am going to pay my taxes by Nov. 15, to at least qualify for a 3% discount, and be thankful I have another whole year of vital services in my community.