HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-17 Study Session�:••� Council Study Session Meeting Agenda
ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION AGENDA
Monday, June 17, 2024
Council Chambers, 1175 E Main Street
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HELD HYBRID (In -Person or Zoom Meeting Access)
Public testimony will be accepted for both general public forum items and agenda items.
Please complete the online Public Testimony Form.
Submit your testimony no later than 10 a.m. the day of the meeting.
CALL TO ORDER
11. PUBLIC FORUM
15 minutes — Public input or comment on City business not included on the agenda
III. APD Annual Report
APD Annual Report to Council and Camping Ord Update
IV. Utility Billing Update
Utility Billing Department Update
V. ADJOURNMENT
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this
meeting, please contact the City Manager's office at 541.488.6002 (TTY phone number 1.800.735.2900).
Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure
accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
"'"Agendas and minutes for City of Ashland Council, Commission and Committee meetings may be found at the
City website, ashland.or.us/Aciendas.asp
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Date: June 17, 2024
Agenda Item
APD Annual Report to Council and Camping Ord
Update
From
Tighe O'Meara, Police Chief
Contact
tighe.omeara@ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
Since 2008 the police department has come before Council to provide an annual use of force report. This
presentation has grown in scope and now includes use of force, crime and clearance rates, an update on the
enhanced law enforcement area (ELEA), as well as the most recent data from Statistical Transparency Of
Policing (STOP), select city parks and the new camping ordinance.
POLICIES PLANS & GOALS SUPPORTED
Keep Council informed of organizational activity and provide timely information for Council Decision -making.
BACKGROUND AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Use of Force Information
During 2023 the Police Department used force 11 times.
In 2023 10 of the incidents involved subjects who were identified as white, one was identified as being Hispanic.
Nine suspects were identified as male, one as female.
Of the 11 uses of force:
-the TASER was displayed in one incident but not used
-OC (pepper) spray was not used
-the less lethal shotgun (which shoots a bean bag projectile to incapacitate a suspect) was not used
-officers displayed a firearm on one occasion
-the rest of the incidents involved empty-handed techniques such as take downs, joint locks, control holds and
empty-handed strikes.
-in 2023 the department obtained a new restraint system called The Wrap, that allows an uncooperative person
to be more fully restrained for transport while minimizing the possibility of injury to the suspect or the officers.
The department's use of force review board reviews all instances of use of force. All the incidents of use of force
in 2023 were deemed to be within policy.
In 2023 the Ashland Police Department handled 32,753 (up from 29,073) calls for service and investigated 2,636
(steady from 2,650) cases. This means that less than one half of one percent (.0034%) of the cases handled by
the department resulted in a use of force.
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APD Use of Force
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2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
During 2023 Ashland officers received a total of 977 hours of use of force training.
Crime Rates and Clearances
Reported crime statistics can be influenced by several factors. Several team members, both internal and external,
both sworn and non -sworn, touch APD reports and ensuring 100% accuracy in reporting is very problematic and
hard to achieve. Every year the APD reports its crime statistics to the State of Oregon, and through them to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. While these reported crime statistics may not be exactly a 1 for 1 match
depending on which database is accessed and which report is analyzed, they do paint a generally accurate
picture of crime in Ashland. Additionally, staffing changes have caused some processes to be lost, leading to
those processes needing to be recreated.
APD continues to work toward additional training for its entire team to ensure the most accurate reporting
possible going forward.
In previous years APD has brought info to Council on what had been termed "Part 1 Crimes." "Part 1 crimes"
were those that were reported annually to the FBI for inclusion in the Uniform Crime Report. They were
homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft, arson and larceny. Nationally all law
enforcement agencies have moved from Uniform Crime Reporting to a new system called National Incident
Based Reporting System that has re -categorized reported crimes. However, for purposes of continuity APD is still
reporting what were previously called "Part 1 crimes." In In 2023 APD saw 342 crimes in this category reported,
down from the city saw a total of 526 in 2022, and from 421 in 2021.
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Part 1 Crimes Reported
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Violent crime is defined as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. There were 29 violent crimes in 2023
down from 36 in 2022. Clearance rates for violent crime remain very high at 69% (68.96%).
In 2023 4 rapes were reported, along with 7 robberies and 18 aggravated assaults.
Crime data for the state is available for public viewing at oregon.gov/osp/pages/uniform-crime-reporting-
data.aspx
Enhanced Law Enforcement Area
The Enhanced Law Enforcement Area (ELEA) ordinance has been in effect since August of 2012. The ELEA is
roughly defined as downtown. In this area we see a concentrated number of complaints and disorderly behavior
as this is the focal gathering point for many members of the community. A conviction of three or more qualifying
violations (or crimes) in Ashland Municipal Court within a six-month period may result in a person being expelled
from the downtown area. The expulsion has judicial review, in that only the Municipal Court Judge can authorize
it.
The qualifying violations are: scattering rubbish; unnecessary noise; dogs -control required; consumption of
alcohol; open container of alcohol; dog license required; or use of marijuana in public. In 2023 there were 105
ELEA violation convictions in the municipal court. There was nine people expelled from the downtown area. The
ELEA continues to be a valuable tool to address chronic negative behavior.
For several years we have used calls for service downtown for disorderly -type behavior as a metric for quality of
life issues downtown. 2023 saw a continued decrease from the high in 2017. The metric tracks calls for service
such as disorderly behavior, drinking in public, urinating in public as well as others.
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CFS CAP West -Downtown
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2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
In the future we will present tracked CAP East data as well
Statistical Transparency of Policing (STOP)
2022 2023
The Oregon legislature has mandated that all police officers in the state record certain demographic and
enforcement data for officer -initiated enforcement stops. The most recent data that is available is for the period of
July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. This data is available through the department's webpage under the "STOP
Data" button.
For that period of time data for the Ashland Police Department indicates that officers initiated enforcement stops
involving individuals identified as follows:
APD 2023 STOP Data
■ White ■ Black ■ ME a NA ■ Asian/PI ■ Latinx
Asian or Pacific Islander 2% Middle Eastern 1 %
Black 4% Native American 0%
Latinx 6% White 88%
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This data is dependent on officers' observations, not an inquiry, and seems to be consistent with Ashland's
demographics. Age information is not available through this report.
The Ashland Police Department will always strive to equitably serve the entire community. With that in mind, we
need to recognize that STOP data will never match up perfectly with demographic data for the community.
Demographic data varies from source to source, so the exact representation of a specific race within the
community cannot be perfectly known. Also, we need to recognize that STOP data is solely dependent on an
officer's perception and is not derived from an inquiry into how the person identifies. STOP data does not allow
for a person to be identified as multi -racial, which many people do. Demographic data does allow for this, and 3-
4% of the Ashland population identifies as such. Ashland is a tourist town, a university town, and is on the 1-5
corridor as well. All of this information skews the data on who is actually present in the community and how they
might be perceived by the officer. Again, this all comes together to create a situation that will never allow the
STOP to perfectly match up with the demographic data.
Also, again, and most importantly, we will always work to make sure all members of the community are being
treated equitably.
Calls for Service Around Parks
At last year's meeting, Council requested that CFS data for parks be included as well. APD pulled data from four
of the main parks, Lithia, Triangle, Garfield and Clay Street. Overall, CFS are up over last year, with Lithia Park
remaining steady on its own. More detailed parks CFS information is attached.
Ice
114,11
CFS Parks
2021 2022 2023
Camping Ordinance Enforcement
Staff is bringing forward requested information on enforcement efforts using the new prohibited camping
ordinance. Since the ordinance's implementation in January of this year there have been 80 violation citations
issued, 12 misdemeanor citations issued and 5 people taken into custody for misdemeanor prohibited camping.
Of the five people taken into custody each of them had received multiple violation level citations in attempts to
gain compliance, in no case less than two violation citations, and in some cases up to five.
FISCAL IMPACTS
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N/A
SUGGESTED ACTIONS, MOTIONS, AND/OR OPTIONS
None unless Council has additional questions or requests.
REFERENCES & ATTACHMENTS
1. Annual report to Council 06172024Final
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APD Annual Report to June 17, 2024
Council
2C14 __ 2CI6 201' 2Clo _- - __-- _-_ 2C22 2023
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Part 1 Crimes Reported
CFS CAP West -Downtown
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APD 2023 STOP Data
2021 2022 2023
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ESTIONS?
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Date: June 17, 2024
Agenda Item
Utility Billing Department Update
From
Mariane Berry, Finance Director, Bryn Morrison,
Deputry Finance DirectorAdministration- Finance
Contact
mariane.berry@ashland.or.us,
bryn.morrison@ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
We will review the current status of the Ashland Utility Billing Department, its progress to date and its
plans for the intermediate future. Included in this study session is a discussion on staffing, operational
distinctions, and software needs. We will also review the utility industry landscape as it pertains to
billing and administration and what other comparable municipalities and utilities are doing. We are
asking Council for guidance/support on general direction.
This study session requires Council to review information from the lens of a Utility Board.
POLICIES, PLANS & GOALS SUPPORTED
• Vision & Value Statements: Sustainability through creativity, affordability and right -sized service delivery
* From the Biennium 2023-25 Priorities: Affordability and Customer Service Focus
BACKGROUND AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Summary
The Utility Billing Department (UB) has undergone some staffing and software challenges this past
year, having lost nearly all its staff last summer. Further, up until December our current software with
Tyler Munis was running on an old, legacy version which required a mandatory upgrade. While the
upgrade appeared to be difficult initially from the customer/resident standpoint, internal functionality
has improved. Tyler Munis is suggesting the next upgrade would be for Resident Services, which is
said to improve the customer experience, from making simple to automated payments, viewing bills,
etc. Improving Net -Metering for Solar Billing is also now a possibility.
Further, we have not reviewed UB operationally, organizationally or strategically in many years, which
is an effort we have embarked upon the last month or so as a response to needing to make decisions
on software upgrades for the department. Rather than only looking at upgrading Munis to the next level
of functionality, we took a step back to review UB Administration holistically, by first interviewing other
utilities and comparable municipalities to study how they are operating and organizing their billing
administration function. Secondly, we informally looked at other software to better understand what is
out there in functionality, customer/tech support and get a feel for cost alternatives. We will discuss all
this during the study session.
Next Steps
We look to Council for guidance on next steps. We are still making our way through the review process
described above. We can come back to Council with additional information in a couple months from
now, and/or we can discuss current paths to take today, such as:
• Upgrade the customer service portal of Munis this summer — cheaper option, easy transition vs new
software implementation
o See how this goes and is received by residents
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• If upgrade and user experiences (both internally and publicly) are generally positive, continue to improve
functionality and start RESP program effort.
• If not, potentially go out for RFP for new utility billing software — could take 8-18 months, depending on
vendor.
• Return to a study session when effort is complete to discuss case studies from other municipalities and
how they are run, if they are applicable and relevant to potentially make changes/improvements at
Ashland Utility Billing.
FISCAL IMPACTS
N/A
SUGGESTED ACTIONS, MOTIONS, AND/OR OPTIONS
Requesting confirmation or guidance from Council on general direction.
REFERENCES & ATTACHMENTS
None
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SPEAKER REQUEST FORM
Submit this form to the meeting Secretary
prior to the discussion item.
1)You will be called forward when it is your turn to speak
2) State your name and speak clearly into the microphone
3) Limit your comments to the time allotted
4) Provide any written materials to the meeting Secretary
5) Speakers are solely responsible for the content of their statement
Date: � t I -"-� 2
Name: lease Print)
Gt.&0� �.
Ashland Resident:
YES ❑ NO City:
Agenda Topic/Item Number:
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Public Forum Topic (Non -agenda Item):
Please respect the order of proceedings and strictly follow the
directions of the presiding officer. Behavior or actions which are loud
or disruptive are disrespectful and offenders will be requested to
leave.
Disclaimer: By submitting this request to address the Public Body, I
agree that I will refrain from the use of any obscene, vulgar, or
profane language. I understand that if I do not follow procedure my
speaking time may be terminated, and I may be requested to sit down
or leave the building.
Notice of Expulsion
Warning of Consequences
No person shall knowingly enter or ramain in the
sleeping area at any time in violation of an expulsion order as
issued and served upon the person. Entering the sleeping
area in violation of an expulsion order constitutes Criminal
Trespass in the Second Degree (ORS 164.245), which is a
class C misdemeanor and may result in your arrest.
Appeal Process
The person receiving this notice may appeal within
10 days in accordance with AMC 2.30 to have written notice
rescinded or the period shortened. The appeal notice shall
include a statement of the nature of the decision being
appealed and a short and plain narrative statement, including
the reason the original decision is alleged to be incorrect. The
written appeal should be delivered to: City Recorder, 20 East
Main Street, Ashland, Oregon, 97520.
The Hearing Officer shall uphold the expulsion if,
up6c,� de eovu review, the preponderance of t„t evidence
convinces the Hearing Officer that, more likely than not, the
person in fact committed the crime or violation, and that the
expulsion is otherwise in accordance with law.
Unless the basis for the expulsion involves a safety
concern, if an appeal of the expulsion is timely filed under
AMC 2.30, the effectiveness of the expulsion shall be stayed,
pending the outcome of the appeal. If the expulsion is
affirmed, the expulsion shall be effective immediately upon
issuance of the written decision and then shall commence and
run for the specified number of days thereafter.
Expulsion Periods
Any peace officer or city code compliance officer
may expel any person who violates any applicable provision of
law in the Dusk to Dawn Sleeping Area for a period of up to 30
days but not to exceed six months.
i�
t� �_ A ! v' p ASHLAND POLICE DEPT. Tel 541.482-5211
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1155 E. Main St Fax: 541-488-5351
Ashland, OR 97520 TTY 800-735-2900
www.ashland.or.us
Notice of Expulsion
The following person: (Case Number)
("Last, First Middle.,
;004aft—
VofBi ) (ID #/State)
fnn*
(Sex) (Race) (Height) (Weight) (Hair) (Eyes
Has been expelled from the Dusk to Dawn Overnight
Sleeping Area
The issuer is alleging that the person violated:
Id Oversized Sleeping Space
❑ Property Left Behind
❑ Unaccompanied Children
❑ Unattended or Aggressive Pet
❑ Fail to Remove Pet Waste
❑ Personal Behavior
❑ Cooking/Campfires
❑ Illegal Drug Use/Recreational Drug Use/Alcohol Use
❑ Other(s)
(Date and Loc - n of VioaGo Ianon) '
The person is expelled from sleeping area�between:
L unfit 11:59pm on _ LYl_ �Lr� y
(Date ofissu nce) rn,,,,,ro,,,,,,
Issued bv:
(Title and name ofy�ho is ape i r, par cial, or city code compliance officer)
(Signature ofKsueri_—,Ae�f
See reverse f consequences and appeal process
.As 1-1 N D ASHLAND POLICE DEPT. Tel: 541-482-5211
1155 E. Main St. Fax: 541-488-5351
Ashland, OR 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900
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