Big news! I am excited to share that yesterday, the board approved $7.2 million in Secure Rural Schools funding that was embedded in the recently passed congressional infrastructure package to:
Improve rural patrol services
Add five Deputy Sheriffs
Add two Deputy Sheriff Detectives
Add one Deputy Sergeant
This is in addition to the four sheriff positions we added in both East and West Lane County during the aftermath of the Holiday Farm Fire, as well as the $17 million allocated from ARPA funding to upgrade jail facilities. This focus on rural emergency services has been the county’s biggest public safety investment since 2014, and it was all accomplished without raising taxes! Lane County's emergency services have faced problems reaching the communities that need them most urgently, and as someone who lives outside of city limits, I know how necessary this funding will be, and I'm proud to make progress on these fronts.
