✓ FACT CHECKED

Fact Check: Current Issues Being Raised About Cave Junction

Public records, current context, and direct answers to claims being circulated during the 2026 mayoral campaign

This is not intended to suggest that every criticism is false. Where a concern is legitimate, I say so. Where the City can improve access, communication, or process, I say that too. The goal is accuracy.

1. Water Plant Solids vs. Wastewater Lagoon

✓ FACT CHECK
The two treatment systems are separate. The private conversation itself is disputed, so the public record should not be used to claim it proves what either person said.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent states that I told her biosolids had been removed from the wastewater lagoon. She says City workers later told her that the solids recently removed and left to dry came from the drinking-water treatment plant, not the wastewater lagoon, and she asks whether biosolids were actually removed from the lagoon itself.

What the record shows: City engineering records clearly treat the drinking-water treatment plant and the wastewater treatment system as separate facilities. The wastewater capital-improvement material she cites traces back to the 2013 Wastewater Facilities Plan. Those records can establish what the systems are and what older planning documents said, but they cannot independently establish what was said in a private conversation.

Current context: My account is that the conversation was about solids removed from the water-treatment side. The Public Works Director was present, and I later verified the information with him. I was not describing the wastewater storage lagoon. Because our recollections differ, the cleanest way to handle this is to separate the two systems and address the lagoon itself on its own facts in Section 5.

Sources: City Water & Wastewater SDC Methodology: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/1496 | City Water Treatment Department: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/water-treatment

2. City Administrator/Recorder Compensation

✓ FACT CHECK
The salary figures come from City budget records, but the comparison needs to include the formal change from Recorder to City Administrator/Recorder and the responsibilities of the combined role.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent publishes fiscal-year budgeted salary figures under the Recorder title and asks what justified the increase from $75,000 in 2021-22 to $146,144 in 2025-26, how the Council evaluated affordability, and why the City budgets nearly $170,000 in total compensation and related costs for the Recorder/Treasurer position compared with similar Oregon cities.

What the record shows: The salary figures shown for prior years are drawn from City budget records, but the position itself changed. On January 13, 2025, the Council formally confirmed the appointment of a City Administrator/Recorder. The FY 2025-26 salary worksheet lists a $135,000 base with budgeted COLA and step adjustments producing $146,144.25. The FY 2026-27 worksheet identifies the combined Administrator/Recorder role and projects $161,874.02 in salary after the next COLA and step adjustments. Salary and employer-paid benefits should be identified separately when discussing total compensation.

Current context: The increase is significant and residents are entitled to scrutinize it. The missing context is that today's position is not simply the older Recorder job with a new salary. One useful Oregon comparison is Aurora, which in a 2025 staffing analysis estimated $130,000 for a full-time City Administrator and $35,000 for a part-time City Recorder, about $165,000 in salary before benefits and overhead. Cave Junction combines those functions into one senior administrative position. This section is about the position, not the employee.

Sources: City FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 budget worksheets: City budget records | City Council Minutes, January 13, 2025: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2836 | City of Aurora staffing analysis: https://www.ci.aurora.or.us/media/35171

3. Employee Safety and OSHA

✓ FACT CHECK
The concern is legitimate and should be verified. Her page raises a safety question; it does not establish an OSHA violation. The City had already scheduled an Oregon OSHA review.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent says she has been told the City lacks a safety manual and asks what written safety programs, procedures, and training are actually in place and being corrected.

What the record shows: Oregon OSHA requires applicable safety training, safety committees or safety meetings, and written programs where required. City minutes from July 2024 also record the Public Works Director saying he was still updating the safety manuals and that the work would take considerable time. Her page does not cite an OSHA citation or finding that the City is currently out of compliance.

Current context: Employee safety is something we take seriously. Before these concerns were posted publicly, the City already had a pre-scheduled appointment with Oregon OSHA for this week so they could inspect, review conditions, and identify anything that needs improvement. If something needs to be fixed, I want it identified and fixed. The goal is compliance and employee safety, not argument.

Sources: Oregon OSHA safety committees and safety meetings: https://osha.oregon.gov/rules/final/division-1/Pages/437-001-0760-0765.aspx | City Council Minutes, July 8, 2024: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2461

4. Rockydale Well and Reliable Water

✓ FACT CHECK
Rockydale is not yet a producing source. The public record shows continued construction, repair, flushing, testing, and commissioning work rather than an abandoned project.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent states that no water is currently coming from the Rockydale Well and asks why it is not yet operational after the grant-funded portion of the project was completed.

What the record shows: Rockydale has been an active City project for several years. Public records document construction, system flushing, repairs, testing, and other work associated with preparing the well and its connection to the City’s water system.

Current context: A new water source cannot simply be connected to the City’s existing system and turned on. Before Rockydale can be tied into the system, the City has to make sure the treatment process, water quality, system compatibility, testing, and applicable regulatory requirements are all where they need to be. That work is underway now.

Rockydale is also not the only major water project in front of the City. In December, the City received a report identifying repairs needed as part of the Clear Well Project, which is currently at the top of our water infrastructure priority list.

The Clear Well is a critical part of the water-treatment system. It provides treated-water storage and helps maintain reliable service as water moves through treatment and into the distribution system. The project focuses on repairs and improvements needed to keep that part of the system dependable and operational.

Both projects matter. We have to keep Rockydale moving while addressing the highest-priority needs in the existing system, sequencing the work carefully and funding it responsibly.

Sources: City Council Minutes, January 13, 2025: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2836 | Public Works Rockydale report: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2546 | City FY 2026-27 budget records

5. Wastewater Lagoon Planning

✓ FACT CHECK
Her page correctly identifies the 67% lagoon figure as historical, not a current measurement. The additional context is that the 2013 planning also relied on growth assumptions that have not occurred as projected.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent cites the City's older Civil West wastewater material, which reported that the biosolids lagoon was approximately 67% full at the time of that report. She explicitly states that the 67% figure is historical and not a verified current measurement, and she calls for a current assessment, maintenance schedule, funding plan, and public progress reports.

What the record shows: That description of the 67% figure as historical is correct. The same planning era also relied on a 2.5% annual growth assumption for Cave Junction. In 2013 the City population was estimated at about 1,905, with planning projections of roughly 3,400 residents by 2035. The City's website lists the 2023 population at 2,163, so actual growth has been substantially slower than that older planning assumption. Population and loading assumptions matter when planning future wastewater capacity, but they do not replace a current physical assessment of the lagoon.

Current context: The lagoon is a real infrastructure need and it needs to be addressed. On that point there is no disagreement. The practical issue is how to do it responsibly. This will be a multi-year project requiring updated engineering, regulatory coordination, outside funding where available, and budgeting across multiple fiscal years. The City needs to establish the current condition and capacity, determine the work actually required, identify funding, and then complete the project without treating a 2013 planning number as a current inspection.

Sources: Water & Wastewater SDC Methodology: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/1496 | 2014 Transportation System Plan citing the wastewater-plan growth assumption: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Planning/TPOD/tsp/city/city_of_cave_junction_tsp_2014.pdf | City population information: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/community

6. City Audits

✓ FACT CHECK
The audit backlog is actively being addressed. HB 2110 removed the former state withholding provision for late audit filings. To date, the backlog has not prevented Cave Junction from applying for or receiving outside funding.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent points to the overdue audits and raises concerns about financial transparency, credibility, and the City's ability to obtain grants, loans, bonds, or other funding.

What the record shows: Cave Junction does have an audit backlog. Oregon requires municipal audits to be performed by qualified outside auditors, and the Oregon Secretary of State has documented a broader statewide problem with delayed municipal audits caused by auditor shortages, retirements, firm mergers, firms leaving governmental auditing, and post-COVID backlogs.

House Bill 2110 also changed the law. Passed in 2023 and effective January 1, 2024, it removed the Municipal Audit Law provision for withholding certain state distributions from cities and counties that did not file their audits on time. The Oregon Secretary of State confirms that this withholding provision was removed. Late audits still need to be completed, and individual funding programs can have their own requirements, but the former state withholding provision should not be presented as a current consequence of the City’s backlog.

Current context: The City did not simply ignore its audits. It spent significant time trying to locate a qualified municipal auditor who was willing and able to take on the work. That auditor has now been secured, and the backlog is actively being worked through.

Just as important, the consequences being suggested have not occurred here to date. Cave Junction has not been denied funding or determined to be ineligible to apply for or receive funding because of the audit backlog. The City has continued applying for and receiving grants while this work moves forward.

That does not mean the backlog should be dismissed. It needs to be completed, and it will be. But there is a difference between identifying a real backlog and suggesting that it has already prevented the City from obtaining funding when that has not happened.

The work is underway, the auditor is in place, and the City continues moving forward with grants, infrastructure projects, and outside funding while the remaining audits are completed.

Sources: Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Municipalities: Summary of Financial Reporting (February 2026), printed pages 2–3, documenting staffing shortages and audit delays: https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/Documents/2026-04.pdf | Oregon Secretary of State Municipal Audit Resources: https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/muniaudits/pages/default.aspx | Finding a Licensed Municipal Auditor: https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/muniaudits/Pages/finding-licensed-municipal-auditor.aspx | Oregon Municipal Corporations Summary Report 2025-08: https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/Documents/2025-08.pdf | Oregon Secretary of State Municipal Audit Law Changes (HB 2110): https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/muniaudits/Pages/HB2110-summary-changes.aspx | HB 2110 legislative record: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/HB2110

7. Is the Budget Online?

✓ FACT CHECK
Three years of budget summaries are online. Full budgets are available through City Hall and during the public budget process. Adding full budgets to the website would expand access to records that are already available.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why the City budget is not online.

What the record shows: The last three years of City budget summaries are available online. The full budget is available through City Hall. During the Budget Committee process, copies are available at the City Hall front counter, at the budget meeting, and at the City Council meeting. Residents can review the budget and participate in the public process.

Current context: The budget has not been hidden. Residents have access to the full document through City Hall and throughout the public budget process, and the summaries are already online. I am not opposed to digitizing the full budgets and adding them to the website going forward. That would give residents another convenient way to review information that is already available.

Sources: City budget summaries for FY 2024-25, FY 2025-26, and FY 2026-27: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/city-recorder/page/fy-budget-2026-2027 | Budget Committee: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/bc-budget

8. Budget Adoption Timing

✓ FACT CHECK
The City received an extension without issue, completed the public budget process, and unanimously adopted the roughly $5.9 million budget on July 13. The extension allowed additional time to complete balanced planning for City infrastructure, operations, and services.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why the City did not pass the FY 2026-27 budget on time.

What the record shows: The City was granted an extension without issue and completed the public budget process in July. The Budget Committee met July 8, and the City Council unanimously adopted the roughly $5.9 million FY 2026-27 budget on July 13, after the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

Current context: This is the City’s overall budget, covering multiple funds, infrastructure, operations, and services. Preparing it means reviewing revenue, ongoing obligations, maintenance needs, and planned projects so the budget is balanced and the City can continue providing reliable services. That requires careful planning and responsible use of the money available. The extension provided additional time to complete that process. It was granted without issue, the public meetings were held, and the Council unanimously approved the completed budget.

Sources: Illinois Valley News budget notice, June 24, 2026: https://www.theivnews.com/2026/06/24/budget-committee-of-the-city-of-cave-junction/ | Illinois Valley News adoption report, July 14, 2026: https://www.theivnews.com/2026/07/14/very-tight-margins-as-cave-junction-approves-2026-27-budget/

9. Meeting Videos

✓ FACT CHECK
Meeting recordings are on the City’s YouTube channel, including the last two years of meetings. I have confirmed that they are accessible through the City website. Agendas also include live Zoom access. Information for all meetings is also available on the City’s Facebook page.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why meeting videos are not posted on the website.

What the record shows: Meeting recordings are posted on the City’s YouTube channel. The City website provides access to those recordings, and I have confirmed that they are accessible through the website. The last two years of meetings have been added to the City’s YouTube archive. Information for all meetings is also available on the City’s Facebook page.

Current context: Residents can watch the recordings on the City’s YouTube channel or access them through the City website. Meetings also offer live Zoom access, with the information included on the agendas. These options give residents ways to follow City business even when they cannot attend in person.

Sources: City of Cave Junction official YouTube channel (meeting recordings): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW4fKeSSXHILSgHz2cbDthA/featured | City Home Page: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/

10. Online Water and Sewer Payments

✓ FACT CHECK
Digital payment implementation is in its final stages. The City is verifying accurate reporting for every cent while keeping equipment and staff-training costs down. Card payments by phone and in person come first, followed by verified online payments.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why residents still cannot fully pay water and sewer bills online.

What the record shows: The City’s current utility-payment page lists existing payment options. Card and online payment capability is being implemented in phases, with the accounting and reporting checks needed to support those transactions.

Current context: This has taken some time because every single cent the City receives has to be recorded and reported accurately. We have to make sure the payment system works with our accounting and that every transaction can be reconciled. We also want to do this without spending thousands of dollars replacing equipment and hardware or requiring extensive staff training. Keeping those costs down is an important part of finding the right solution. After about 18 months of researching vendors and testing options, we feel good about the solution we are working toward and expect this to be resolved shortly. The first phase is debit and credit card payments by phone and in person. Online payments will follow once the reporting and reconciliation are verified.

Sources: Pay Your Utility Bill: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/water-sewer/page/pay-your-utility-bill

11. Water and Sewer Rate Increases

✓ FACT CHECK
The City budget figures show that both overall water and sewer budgets increased. The rate increases were spread over several years to reduce the impact on residents while supporting reliable service and needed improvements.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why water and sewer rates are increasing while the amount budgeted for those programs is decreasing.

What the record shows: The question suggests that water and sewer budgets are shrinking. The figures listed in the City budget records show that both overall budgets increased from FY 2025-26 to FY 2026-27. Some individual expenses change from year to year, but that does not mean less money is being budgeted for the systems overall.

Current context: Water and sewer rates help pay for treatment, daily operations, repairs, loan payments, and future improvements. The increases were spread over several years to reduce the impact on residents.

Sources: Water/Sewer Rates Increasing in Cave Junction: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/city-council/page/watersewer-rates-increasing-cave-junction | Ordinance 604: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2051 | City FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 budget workbook: City budget records

12. County Beautification, Lighting, and Security Funding

✓ FACT CHECK
The cited agreement authorizes $155,000. The City paid for the work upfront and documented where every cent went for the County Commissioners as part of the reimbursement process. The Commissioners agreed with the findings and paid the reimbursement.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks what happened to the "$200,000" the County gave the City for paint, security cameras, and beautification.

What the record shows: The City-County agreement I reviewed commits $155,000, not $200,000, for planning, design, and implementation of the project. The agreement identifies lighting and security improvements and $46,000 for public appearance.

Current context: This was a reimbursement arrangement. The City had to pay for the work upfront and then provide documentation to the County Commissioners showing where every cent went before receiving reimbursement. The County Commissioners reviewed the documentation, agreed with the findings, and paid the reimbursement. The agreement identifies the approved uses for lighting, security, and public appearance.

Sources: Josephine County / City of Cave Junction MOU Modification: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/1216

13. Golf Course Sign and Two-Year Lease

✓ FACT CHECK
The two-year lease supports summer wastewater disposal, allows regular review of fair terms, and preserves the City’s flexibility as its needs change. Sign approval depended on a recorded easement.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why the golf course could not put up a sign and why it received only a two-year lease.

What the record shows: On July 25, 2022, the Council approved a two-year lease extension and waived the monthly lease fee from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. That means $0 in monthly rent for that term. Sign approval was tied to obtaining a recorded easement, which documents the legal right to use or cross property. The Council also reviewed insurance and other responsibilities under the lease.

Current context: The golf course serves an important purpose for the City’s wastewater system. During the summer, the City uses the course to irrigate with effluent, which is treated wastewater. Keeping that outlet available was the reason the City needed to purchase the property.

The value of the lease includes the work the club provides. The club maintains the grounds, supplies maintenance staff, equipment and fuel, and pays the electricity to run the irrigation pumps. That work supports the City’s ability to discharge treated wastewater during the summer. The arrangement is an exchange of services, so the rent amount needs to be understood alongside those responsibilities.

Two years at a time gives the City and the club a regular opportunity to review the arrangement. They can look at the work being done, the costs each side carries, and whether the terms remain fair to both the City and those operating the golf course.

The City also needs flexibility because this property is part of its wastewater system. If Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requirements change, the City changes how it manages wastewater, or another City use becomes necessary, a long-term lease could make it harder to put the property to that use. A two-year term supports continued golf operations while allowing the City to reassess the lease as its needs change.

Sources: City Council Minutes, July 25, 2022: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/1126; Budget Committee Minutes (golf course maintenance and irrigation responsibilities): https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2576; City wastewater update (seasonal golf course irrigation): https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/2871

14. Junction Inn

✓ FACT CHECK
The Junction Inn project has advanced through foreclosure and environmental review. Deed completion and demolition funding are the next steps toward returning the site to productive use, with lodging as the intended condition.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks why the City has not explained what is happening with the Junction Inn.

What the record shows: The Junction Inn has been discussed in public meetings and local reporting for years. The City pursued foreclosure based on outstanding obligations, and a foreclosure auction was publicly noticed in January 2026. The City also completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in July 2026. The project therefore has a substantial public record; it is not a property that appeared suddenly or has had no public process.

Current context: The City has moved the Junction Inn through foreclosure and environmental review, and the next steps are to finish the deed and remaining legal work and pursue outside funding for demolition of the unsafe structures. The goal is to return the site to usable land and productive private ownership, with lodging as the intended condition. This is a project with several legal, funding, and redevelopment steps, and we are moving through them so the property can contribute to the community again.

Sources: City Council Minutes, November 8, 2021: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/media/1061 | January 2026 foreclosure reporting: https://www.kajo.com/news/news_story.php?id=1370451638&start_from=1656&ucat=2 | Junction Inn Phase I Environmental Site Assessment: City/Stantec report dated July 2026

15. Public Safety, Loitering, and Conduct Downtown

✓ FACT CHECK
The City is building on strong partnerships with the Sheriff’s Office and ODOT to address public-safety concerns. These statewide challenges also require changes to state law and funding for local communities. Our work must protect individual rights and stay within the law.

What my opponent is saying: My opponent asks what the City is doing to address unlawful conduct, chronic loitering, and public-safety concerns downtown.

What the record shows: The City has a strong public-safety partnership with the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office and contracts with the Sheriff for law-enforcement services. We also work with ODOT on signage that helps the Sheriff’s Office enforce restrictions on overnight RV camping through town.

Current context: We are building on those partnerships to protect residents, support local businesses, and address unlawful conduct. The Sheriff’s Office, ODOT, and the City each have a role in that work, and coordination helps us make the most of the resources available.

The challenges surrounding homelessness and its impact on downtown are being felt in communities across Oregon. Small cities need state support to address them. We need to work with our state officials on changes to the laws that give communities practical ways to respond, along with funding that reaches cities like Cave Junction.

That means protecting individual rights while also protecting residents, businesses, and public spaces. There are limits on what the City and law enforcement can legally do. We will continue working within those limits while pushing for the tools and resources our community needs.

Sources: City Public Safety Department: https://www.cavejunctionoregon.us/public-safety

Work Underway and Next Steps

  • Three years of budget summaries are online, and full budgets are available at City Hall and through the public budget process. Digitizing full budgets would provide another way to access them.
  • Digital payment implementation is in its final stages, with phone and in-person card payments first and online payments following verified reporting and reconciliation.
  • A qualified auditor is working through the backlog. HB 2110 removed the former state withholding provision, and the backlog has not prevented the City from applying for or receiving outside funding to date.
  • Rockydale work continues alongside the priority Clear Well Project. Wastewater lagoon planning requires current engineering, regulatory coordination, and responsible funding across multiple years.
  • The City had already scheduled an Oregon OSHA review to support employee safety and identify improvements.

The City received an extension without issue, completed its public budget meetings, and unanimously adopted a balanced budget covering City infrastructure, operations, and services.

Closing

I welcome questions about City operations. Residents deserve answers that include the full record: the responsibilities behind a position, the services and expenses within a budget, the age of an engineering report, and the work already underway. My responsibility is to make decisions that protect our infrastructure, support City services, and take seriously what our residents can afford.

I am proud of the work we are doing and the partnerships helping Cave Junction move forward. I will continue sharing records and project updates so residents can see the progress, understand the next steps, and make informed decisions.

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