HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-19 Study Session MINASHLAND CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION MINUTES
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Mayor Graham called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Council Present: Mayor Graham, Councilors Knauer, DuQuenne, Bloom, and Kaplan.
Council Absent: Hansen and Dahle
Staff Present:
Sabrina Cotta
City Manager
Tighe O'Meara
Police Chief
Alissa Kolodzinski
City Recorder
Carmel Zahran
Assistant City Attorney
Dan Moulin
Deputy Chief
Alex Bonaparte
Ashland Police Officer
Public Input
(15 minutes - Public input or comment on City business not included on the agenda)
II. ELEA - Enhanced Law Enforcement Area
Discussion: Request made for meeting material to be more readily available ahead of time.
Council discussed the intent of the study session for discussion about ELEA. There may
or may not be direction for staff at the end of the meeting.
O'Meara provided a power point presentation to aid in the conversation (attached)
• Crime Data - CAP West Data has been provided annually since 2012 and includes
calls for service for a variety of reasons in the downtown area intended to provide
a metric for quality of life downtown. There has been a general trend down in the
number of calls since 2011.
Cap East is showing a general increase in calls from 2012.
• There have been delays in hearing cases due to municipal backlog as well as a delay
between when the Court processes sufficient violations to warrant a criminal
complaint and when that is communicated to the Legal department for filing.
• Additional delays are due to failure to appear to trial as sentencing for crimes cannot
proceed until there is a conviction by guilty plea or trial, whereas failure to appear for
a violation can default to guilty and sentencing can proceed.
• Under the current system, three qualifying violation level convictions in an ELEA can
result in an expulsion order - violation of that expulsion order will then result in being
charged with the crime of trespassing.
• More streamlined processes exist regionally that have withstood federal challenge.
City Council Study Session
February 19, 2025
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• Proposed changes:
• After three or more qualifying violation charges, expulsion can be issued on an
officer's authority with an option to appeal to the Judge within 10 days.
• After one or more criminal charges in any court an expulsion can be issued
with the same option to appeal.
• Access to essential services (grocery, pharmacy, etc) will be included.
• Elevate unauthorized burning to municipal court misdemeanor
• Slight expansion of ELEA West to include the front lawn of the library, adjacent
property, and the park area across the street.
Council discussed these recommended changes and how to make the ordinance and
notification language in the violation itself simple and clear for those whose behavior it is
intended to address. Graham clarified with O'Meara and Zahran that currently it is not the
municipal court that initiates an expulsion order after three violation convictions, but rather
the police or legal departments. Council discussed how might it be possible to streamline the
process while maintaining appropriate separation of powers.
Public Comment - citizen spoke on their concerns related to the original ELEA proposal
Graham polled Councilors regarding direction to staff and discussed the difference between
reckless vs. unauthorized burning:
• Direction to staff to bring back a proposal to elevate unauthorized burning to a
misdemeanor city-wide as a separate ordinance.
• Direction to staff to create a proposal for the expansion of ELEA West as outlined.
• Council would like to take up discussion on recommendations number one and two at
another study session (1. allow for expulsions on officer's order and 2. Allow for crimes
charge in a ELEA to lead to expulsion)
III. Adjournment of Study Session
The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
City Recorder Alissa Kolodzinski Mayor Tonya Graham
City Council Study Session
February 19, 2025
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