Oregon County Cuts Law Enforcement, Releases Inmates After Failed Tax Hike

The sheriff of Josephine County got ready to hand out pink slips for deputies and draw up release forms for jail inmates after voters rejected a property tax hike to make up for the loss of federal timber subsidies. Josephine County is among several Oregon counties trying to plug gaping budget holes after the expiration last year of a federal law that sent billions of dollars to rural counties across the country for a decade to compensate for losses in timber revenue on federal lands.