Klamath County officials outline plan for East County police district funded by per-lot tax

Klamath County officials on Monday described a proposal to form a police service district for East County that would raise local money for dedicated deputies and a substation in Bonanza, with the plan to appear on the ballot in early 2026 if approved by the Board of County Commissioners.

At a town-hall meeting in Bonanza, a county commissioner summarized the financing approach and how it would affect landowners, saying, “This is your district,” and later noting the levy structure change: “it ended up being 90 in order to make those changes so that you can reduce the cost of people that live here and your producers that own multiple tax lehi.” The commissioner said the levy was presented originally as $72 per tax lot, then adjusted to about $90 per tax lot per year to allow administrative consolidations for landowners with multiple parcels.

Why it matters: Residents and farmers in the rural district have complained of high rates of trespass and theft and say they lack sustained patrol presence. County leaders said the tax would fund deputies dedicated to the unincorporated East County area, a substation and resident-deputy housing, and would not be spent outside the district.

County and sheriff’s office figures and staffing Sheriff Mitchell said the county has faced heavy call volumes and staffing shortages: “Just from January 1 to then ... there’s been a total of 2,787 calls for service within the county,” and the county covers “6,200 square miles with 15 patrol…