News from Jacksonville, Oregon’s City Hall
WITH THE 4TH OF JULY rapidly approaching, the Jacksonville Fire Department and city staff would like to remind the public that Jacksonville prohibits the use of Fireworks within the City limits and also discourages the use of fireworks outside of City limits for the following reasons:
Wildfire Risk: We are surrounded by forests and grassy areas […]
SUMMER GREETINGS to one and all, as one of the busiest times of the year gets underway! As with every season, but especially now, we must prepare for fire season, lots of little fawns running around, and many more visitors who may not pay attention to our well- enforced speed limits, […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the annual City Budget Letter…a full-length version and the entirety of the adopted budget may be found on the city website.
Mayor Donna Bowen, Councilors, Members of the Budget Committee, and Citizens of Jacksonville:
As we conclude Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026, we are submitting […]
WHERE’S THE MUSEUM? People have been asking that question ever since the Southern Oregon Historical Society was forced to close its Jacksonville museum in 2010 due to loss of county funding. Well, by the end of summer, Jacksonville will have an answer!
You may not realize it, but Jacksonville has had […]
LAST MONTH, I highlighted the recent accomplishments of our Police Department and its strong commitment to community policing. This month, the focus turns to the Jacksonville Fire Department and the many programs and services it provides to educate residents and enhance safety throughout our community as we enter fire season. The […]
THE JACKSONVILLE Fire Department, Police Department, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) invite you to join us for an important Community Evacuation Forum on Wednesday, May 13, from 6-7pm, at the Jacksonville Fire Station, 180 N. 3rd Street.
The one-hour session is designed to provide critical information and open discussion on […]
AT A RECENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING, members of the public stepped forward to praise our Jacksonville Police Department. It is hard to imagine that not that long ago we were looking at the possibility of losing our department entirely and entering into a contract with Jackson County sheriffs. What a difference […]
GREETINGS TO ALL OUR NEIGHBORS! We are looking forward to welcoming Spring to our town, and it seems an appropriate time to provide everyone with an update of our 2026 goals and objectives, plans, and new ideas! With our new Police Chief, Matt Hannum, and a full staff of Police Officers, […]
JACKSONVILLE was recently named the recipient of the 2026 National Wildfire Mitigation Award. This is the highest national honor one can receive for outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. Established in 2014, the Wildfire Mitigation Awards are jointly sponsored by the National Association of State Foresters […]
HAVE YOU LOST or misplaced…or found any personal property lately? Please remember that the Jacksonville Police Department accepts found property and tries its best to find the owner of that property. They currently have bicycles, electronics, currency/coins, and other miscellaneous items in their possession and would love to reunite it with […]
IN A RECENT flurry of Facebook posts, many of us have seen questions about the City ‘s plans regarding a proposed Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) amendment. It’s clear from this energy that we all share a deep investment in Jacksonville’s future. To provide some clarity, here is some basic information […]
THE JACKSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT has bolstered its firefighting capabilities with the recent acquisition of a new Type 3 wildland fire engine, provided by the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) as part of the state’s Engine Program. This initiative, funded through Oregon’s 2021 Senate Bill 762, aims to enhance wildfire response […]
Mayor Donna Bowen, Councilors and Budget Committee Members and Citizens:
We are approaching the end of the FY 2024-2025 budget year and are presenting the proposed budget for FY 2025-2026. Since this process begins early in the spring, the final results of FY 2024-2025 and their impact on FY 2025-2026 in terms of cash and working […]
ON MARCH 20, 2025, join Police Chief David Towe and his team of officers for a meet & greet. At 5:30pm, please gather at the Police Station at 225 S. 3rd Street, for a tour of the facility. At 6:00pm, head over to the Community Center next door for a brief, informational session led by […]
JACKSONVILLE IS EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO WILDFIRES due to so many homes being in close proximity to woodlands and forests. Jacksonville is holding a Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on Saturday, October 19, from 9am-1pm, in the D Street parking lot. Residents may bring branches, leaves and other vegetation to be chipped and disposed of.
Three dumpsters will […]
WE HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL TOWN HALL meeting in July, and things are changing for the BETTER here in Jacksonville with regard to overall safety and enforcement issues.
You may have noticed white striping on feeder streets into downtown, as well as new, yellow center striping on our streets! Also “SLOW” signs […]
ON MAY 7, Mayor Donna Bowen presented a very special Certificate of Bravery to Adrian McCully for keeping his neighbors safe from harm during the March 19 3-alarm house fire in the “Whippleville” neighborhood of Jacksonville.
The beautiful collection of homes designed and built by Roger Whipple, who lost his home in […]
ON MAY 7, at the regular City Council meeting, Jacksonville Fire Chief Wayne Painter received the State of Oregon’s Fire Chief’s Association Award of Excellence. The award was presented in honor of his vision, dedication, and professionalism. Painter was nominated for the award by City Councilor Andrea Thompson, who […]
WITH THE 4TH OF JULY rapidly approaching, the Jacksonville Fire Department and city staff would like to remind the public that Jacksonville prohibits the use of Fireworks within the City limits and also discourages the use of fireworks outside of City limits for the following reasons:
Wildfire Risk: We are surrounded by forests and grassy areas […]
Editor’s Note: In preparation to adopt the next city budget in June, the following Budget Message was prepared by staff and presented to the full Budget Committee for review at its May 9 meeting. The letter outlines includes commentary from staff and draws attention to areas of concern. The Budget Committee […]
UPDATE FROM CINDY RASMUSSEN ON 05/16/24: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Town Hall meeting of June 11, organized by the Citizens for a Safer Jacksonville, will be postponed until sometime in July. This meeting was to be held in the City Library Community Room. We apologize for this inconvenience and […]
As we enter the Holiday season, our committee wants to share where our work has led us this year.
As many of you know, we formed our Committee in February 2023 to address the serious speeding problem in our town. We began collecting petition signatures in the spring and quickly found over 350 residents who shared […]
A lot has been happening in the past year in regard to hazardous fuels management in the Jacksonville Woodlands, Forest Park, and within and surrounding the City of Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Woodlands Association (JWA), the City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Fire Department, Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, Rogue Forest Partners, Grayback Forestry, […]
The City of Jacksonville has launched a new program to assist homeowners in removing blackberry thickets clogging creeks and creating a fire hazard around properties. Every year, Jacksonville property owners with natural watercourses on or adjacent to their properties are reminded through mailed notices that they are responsible for keeping these watercourses free of obstructions […]
June 2023—At its June 6 meeting, the City Council voted to increase the Police Surcharge from $20 to $35 a month. As per projections, the council agreed to hold the fee at $35 for 5 years. The $15 increase will be used to fund a full-time department or a hybrid model that includes hiring two […]
Summer used to be my favorite season. Camping trips, canoe rides, lazy days in the garden and long evenings all come to mind. Unfortunately, the anticipation of warm sunny days has now evolved into a lingering sense of dread for many of us because summers now bring a less promising […]
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national Firewise campaign to raise awareness and reduce risks from wildfires. Jacksonville is vulnerable to wildfires due to many homes being located in close proximity to woodlands and forests. Because of severe drought and upcoming extremely hot weather, this summer and early fall promise to be a bad year […]
For the past couple of months, the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) tasked with providing recommendations for development code updates, worked on revising the current tree removal standards with the intent of providing recommended language ahead of all other code amendments. The reason for prioritizing the tree removal standards is a result of the increased awareness […]
Over the past couple of years, your Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) tasked with reviewing and updating the City’s Development Code has been hard at work carefully reviewing and revising the draft document. The project is a city initiative to clarify and improve regulations for development within the […]
For many of us, our introduction to Senate Bill 762 came in a letter from ODF outlining our risk assessment per tax lot. In Jacksonville, too often that risk was “High” or “Extreme”. People across the state had strong reactions to a […]
August 15, 2022— Jacksonville Mayor Donna Bowen sent the following statement out today regarding funding cuts to the Chamber of Commerce. It reads as follows:
What Went Into The Jacksonville City Council’s Decision To Change The Amount Of Funding We Give For The Visitors Information Center?
After looking at the amount of money paid to the Visitors Information […]
If you ask residents what they enjoy most about living in our city, the answers are pleasantly varied. Some cite the small-town atmosphere or the presence of the Woodlands Trails system. Others cite Britt’s offering of world-class concerts or the proximity to area wineries. There are many reasons for Jacksonville’s broad […]
This month, I would like to share my column space with City Councilor, Ken Gregg, who has served on Council since 2015. Ken is known and respected as an active City Councilor. Ken has his finger on the pulse of what is happening in Jacksonville and always […]
In cooperation with the Oregon Health Authority, the City of Jacksonville will facilitate a series of COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Jacksonville New City Hall, 206 N 5th Street, Second Floor Assembly Room (ADA Accessible). ANYONE MAY PARTICIPATE for a first or second vaccine. Your name and birth date are all that is required. […]
When this edition comes out, it will be almost the anniversary of the Almeda Fire, a fire that transformed the face of the Rogue Valley and scarred all of us. If we had previously believed that catastrophic fires happened elsewhere or that we were somehow immune, that all changed last September. Concerns about fire and […]
The Jacksonville City Council has identified emergency preparedness for wildfire as a key focus this year. The Council is working on several steps including revision of the Emergency Operations Plan, a review of the Britt Evacuation Plan and the development of a set of emergency protocols including exit routes, warning […]
Due to extreme wildfire risks, fireworks are now banned on private and public property in Jacksonville.
Please see the below resolution passed on 6/29 by the City Council.
RESOLUTION NO. 2021-007
A RESOLUTION DECLARING CRITICAL FIRE DANGER AND PROHIBITING ANY FIREWORKS DURING 2021 JULY FOURTH HOLIDAY IN THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE
WHEREAS, the City Council of the […]
The Jacksonville City Council has identified emergency preparedness for wildfires as a key focus this year. The Council is working on several steps including revision of the Emergency Operations Plan, a review of the Britt Evacuation Plan, instituting a set of emergency protocols which include potential evacuation routes, warning systems and fuel reduction. Our partners […]
Donna Bowen – Mayor
As I sat down to write an introductory article of myself as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Jacksonville, I struggled to find something new, exciting, and inspiring in the sea […]
The long-awaited completion of an ADA-compliant elevator is now complete at New City Hall—also known as the Courthouse. The project, which cost approximately $300,000, was funded primarily through the city’s Urban Renewal program. The Review took a tour of the Courthouse with City Administrator Jeff Alvis who explained that the Ausland Group was the contractor […]
The City of Jacksonville is closely monitoring the COVID-19 developments in Jackson County.
Due to rising cases, and Jackson County recently being added to the State of Oregon watch list, the Planning Commission Hearing scheduled for August 26, 2020 is canceled pending further notice.
Britt Festival provided the City of Jacksonville with an extension to their application […]
Thanks to a $1.34 million grant from the state of Oregon, the Jacksonville fire station will receive an overdue expansion and seismic reinforcement. The scope of the seismic work to the brick 1950’s-ear structure will be similar to what was done to reinforce the Old County Courthouse, now revitalized as New City Hall.
The Seismic Rehabilitation […]
This question comes up from time to time and the correct answer is…. not yet! The City of Jacksonville, the Forest Park Volunteers and some volunteers from local equestrian groups have been working for about a year to be able to permit horse riding within Forest Park. Currently, horses are NOT allowed in the Forest […]
May 1, 2020
BUDGET MESSAGE
2020-2021
Welcome to the Budget Committee meetings for the fiscal year 2020-2021. It is our privilege to present the proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
We understand there are potential budgetary impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic. […]
In its effort to protect public health in the age of the corona virus, the City Council adopted a temporary ordinance aimed at maintaining social distancing and reducing the spread of the disease. Ordinance 2020-02 will now enable City Council and Mayoral candidates in the upcoming General Election to skip the process of obtaining 20 […]
FROM CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, OREGON, MARCH 23, 2020–Given the evolving situation with COVID-19 and the directives from Governor Brown, all City offices and departments will be closing to public walk-in traffic as of Monday, March 23rd at 1:00 pm. All departments will remain open and available to the public during normal work hours by phone […]
Thanks to the Mayor and Administrator, town has adopted an emergency measure granting restaurants and businesses relief from sign, delivery and parking standards. The move enables the use of sandwich boards for food pick up and food delivery and enables use of street-side parking spaces. As noted by staff, “We know that businesses curtailing their […]
At the February 18, 2020, City Council meeting, Mayor Becker presented Larry Smith with a “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Before a packed house, he recognized Larry as a citizen who, over many years, has worked in ways that benefit our city. “Larry Smith,” he said, “is a man whose presence and influence have shaped the lives […]
Over the past couple of years we have noticed a sizeable increase in the number of people walking and driving the grounds of the Jacksonville Cemetery in search of mushrooms. Unfortunately this has lead to a series of problems that must be addressed and we ask for your cooperation and understanding. We know that the […]
