Curry County government isn’t the only entity that will be hurt if the impending financial crisis isn’t solved.

Cities also will feel the strain as the county reduces services to meet a $2 million shortfall next year and even bigger budget problems in following years.

Some believe the county revenue dilemma presents an opportunity for increased partnership or consolidation of services with cities. But Brookings City Manager Gary Milliman said there is an inherent problem with that idea.

“How can the city enter into contractual agreements with the county if there is no assurance the county could fulfill its obligations in either funding its share or providing the service?” he said. “The county constantly being in fiscal crisis and not having consistent management is a deterrent to service consolidation.”

One of the biggest questions involves public safety, which takes about 70 percent of the county’s general fund. Brookings Police Department officers already must respond to some calls outside the city  because of a reduction in the number of sheriff’s deputies.

Sheriff John Bishop says he needs 12 deputies to have someone on the road 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He currently has five deputies.

How would Brookings respond to even further cuts?

“The city would need to review its policies on providing mutual aid and responding to emergency calls in the unincorporated area,” Milliman said. “We would likely receive more calls for service if there are no road deputies.”

It might mean the city would need to add more police officers to respond to major crimes, search and rescue, and investigations, he said. That, of course, would translate to higher costs for the city and quite possibly an increase in tax level.

Citizens would feel the impact of cuts to the county’s public safety programs, Milliman said.

“With diminished law enforcement resources in the unincorporated area, the incidence of crime is likely to increase in areas adjacent to the city,” he said. “Some residual of this will cross over into the city as criminals are not necessarily cognizant of city boundaries.”

The absence of road deputies could foster a perception among criminals that Curry County is “lawless” and a good place to set up shop, he added.

The county is mandated to operate the jail. However, if that function ceases Milliman fears the city might end up taking over responsibility.

“If the city is required to transport arrestees to jail in Coos or Josephine county, who pays for transporting them?” he asked. “Who pays for housing them? Who pays for shuttling the prisoners back and forth to court in Gold Beach?

“It is likely that all but the most dangerous offenders will  be cited and released.”

Milliman believes more reductions to the sheriff’s office staff would also impact the Brookings Fire Department. Firefighters probably would be called on more frequently to do such things as traffic control at traffic accidents, he said.

Also, more time would pass between the time firefighters arrive and law enforcement arrives at incidents involving a crime, such as hit-and-run accidents, domestic violence and arson fires, Milliman said.

If added duties fall on the Brookings Fire Department,  he said the city would have to assess whether the funding it currently gets from rural fire districts – and the size of its paid and volunteer staff – is sufficient to provide what may become a higher level of service.

Construction projects also would be hurt by budget reductions. Milliman noted that effects of fewer staff members in the county’s Planning and Building Department already are being felt.

“Unincorporated area residents or contractors working in the unincorporated area contact the city Planning and Building staff for information on county and state codes, knowing our city staff is also knowledgeable in these areas,” he said. “This is likely to increase.”

The city has one building inspector who is qualified to perform inspections and plan reviews in most areas. However, the county building inspector provides that service when the city’s inspector is sick or on vacation. Also, one county inspector has expertise in an area the city inspector does not.

Further cuts to the county staff means the city “would need to rely upon state inspection resources based in Coquille or Coos Bay for backup support,” Milliman said.

Likewise, a county fiscal failure would have a “significant negative impact” on economic development efforts, he said.

“The county and the cities would find it even more difficult to recruit new private investment,” Milliman said. “Prospective residents and employers look at the quality of local services and are reluctant to make investments in communities where they perceive there is a lack of security for their investment, their family and their employees.

“Growth in the unincorporated area as well as the city contributes to the overall economic well being of business and government agencies.”

He said other questions in the wake of a county collapse include how property taxes would be collected and distributed, how documents would be recorded, and how elections would be conducted.

Gold Beach Mayor Jim Wernike has similar concerns, saying “it’s going to be bad for the cities” if the crisis can’t be averted. The biggest problem will be in law enforcement, he said, because the sheriff’s office and district attorney’s office already are understaffed.

Gold Beach Police Department couldn’t regularly patrol the unincorporated areas, Wernike said, but they would respond to serious traffic accidents outside the city limits.

“It would be cold hearted not to have your police respond to that,” he said.

Wernike said there are many questions to answer if Curry County were to join one or two other counties to pool resources.

“Whose tax rate would apply?” he asked.

Despite that, he is willing to consider partnering or consolidation.

“I am open to getting more information on the benefits of regionalization,” Wernike said.

Overall, he said Curry County residents are facing “a horrible situation.”

Port Orford Mayor Jim Auborn said his biggest fear is losing city services because of having to help the county. For example, if the Port Orford Police Department had to respond to incidents in the unincorporated area, it would detract from city officers’ ability to monitor traffic along Highway 101 that runs through downtown Port Orford.

“Traffic enforcement is very important to us,” Auborn said.

The city has a police levy and is good financial condition for law enforcement now, said the mayor.

Another fear is that the jail will shut down, he said. However, if prisoners had to be driven to the jail in Coos Bay it wouldn’t be as big a hardship on Port Orford as it would for Gold Beach or Brookings because of the shorter distance, Auborn noted.

He said the community also depends on the county Juvenile Department.

“They do some nice things for us,” Auborn said. “If we have some kids get into trouble, it’s good to have programs for them.”

Like other public officials across the county, he will be monitoring progress of the Citizens’ Committee that has been convened to recommend options to the Curry County Board of Commissioners. The committee is due to give commissioners a list of options by Feb. 1, 2012.

“I hope we can find some way to solve this problem and help one another,” Auborn said.