EUGENE, Ore. — An external audit of Lane County’s safety levy says the funds are being used as promised.
The levy was passed back in 2013. The money raised has since gone to maintain at least 255 local jail beds and 16 detention and treatment beds for youth services.
The levy hasn’t fixed all of the Lane County law enforcement issues, but the sheriff’s office believes this clean audit could pave way for other issues that need attention.
“We need to have the ability to respond out in those rural areas and be able to protect our citizens during emergency calls with everything from accidents to homicides, and we just don’t have that sort of resource,” said Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office says rural patrols are currently extremely limited for the 47-hundred square miles of county land.
