The Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Nov. 13 to adopt a new county fee schedule that county finance staff said aligns charges with the actual cost of services and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Ruth Nelson, director of finance, told the board the proposal reflects the fourth step in a multi-step fee-change process and that the goal is to bring fee revenue closer to the cost of providing services. "If adopted today, the fees will be effective 01/01/2026," Nelson said.

Public comment focused on recreation and fair fees. Nancy Lester of Grants Pass urged the board to keep the day‑use park fee at $5 rather than doubling it to $10, saying the county currently receives about $181,000 a year at the $5 rate and that a $10 rate would produce roughly $362,000 by her estimate. Lester warned that doubling the fee could deter short visits and hurt local users and pass-through visitors.

Deb (Berg) raised concerns about the fairgrounds and said children in FFA and 4‑H were being charged multiple fees, including a $25 participation fee and additional pre-fair or ear-tag charges, and urged the Fair Board to review practices to avoid double-charging youth. The county chair responded that the hearing was not about fair-board policies but commissioners and staff noted the concern for follow-up.

Commissioners explained parks are operated as an enterprise fund intended to be self-supporting and cited options such as annual passes and veteran exemptions to mitigate impacts on frequent users. Commissioner Smith said parks must break even to maintain maintenance crews and rangers.

After discussion the board approved Board Order 2025‑074 adopting the revised schedule, with a 3–0 roll-call vote.