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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-16 Council Mtg MIN ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES Tuesday,September 16,2025 I. EXECUTIVE SESSION 5:00 p.m. To conduct deliberations with persons designated by the governing body to negotiate real property transactions pursuant to ORS 192.660 (2)(e). Mayor Graham and Councilors Bloom, DuQuenne, Dahle, Kaplan, Hansen and Sherrell were present. Parks Commissioner Bachman,City Attorney Johan Pietila, Parks and Recreation Directory Rocky Houston, City Manager Sabrina Cotta,and City Recorder Alissa Kolodzinski were present. 6:00 PM Business Meeting Council Present: Mayor Graham,Councilors Bloom, Dahle, DuQuenne, Hansen, Kaplan, and Sherrell. Council Absent: None Staff Present: Sabrina Cotta City Manager Johan Pietila City Attorney Alissa Kolodzinski City Recorder Tighe O'Meara Police Chief Rocky Houston Parks and Recreation Director 11. CALL TO ORDER Graham called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. a. Land Acknowledgement" Kaplan read the land acknowledgement. III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Dahle led the pledge of allegiance. IV. ROLL CALL V. MAYOR'S CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENT • The Public Hearing and First Reading of Ordinance 3272 relating to1511 Highway 99 - Planning Action #PA-T3-2024-00011 which was postponed from the Aug.19 meeting is continued to the November 4th, 2025 City Council Business Meeting. • Graham read the Constitution Day proclamation into the record. (see attached) VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a.Minutes of the August 18,2025 - Study Session Meeting b.Minutes of the August 19,2025 - Business Meeting Bloom moved to approval of the minutes.Dahle seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote:Sherrell,Dahle,Bloom,DuQuenne,Kaplan,and Hansen-YES.Motion passed. VII. CONSENT AGENDA a. City Council Fall Retreat Business Meeting September 16,2025 Page 1 of 6 b. Public Art Award Selection - Traffic Signal Box project c. Advisory Committee Member Appointment d. Liquor License Application Approval Graham asked if any Councilor wanted to remove any items from the consent agenda. Item C was pulled to be discussed under Unfinished Business. Hansen moved to accept the remaining items on the consent agenda.Bloom seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote:Dahle,Bloom,DuQuenne,Kaplan,Sherrell and Hansen-YES.Motion passed. Vill. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS IX. PUBLIC FORUM- Six citizens spoke about their concerns regarding funding for the 2200 Ashland Street building,the reporting of the number of meals at the Senior Center,financial reporting by the Parks Commission, an amendment that was made to the City's budget, logging as included in the CWPP (Community Wildfire Protection Plan), alleged methamphetamine production in the Railroad District, as well as a request for increased traffic controls at several intersections there. X. PUBLIC HEARING a. Public Hearing and First Reading of Ordinance 3273: An Ordinance Amending the Enhanced Law Enforcement Expulsion Process as Outlined in AMC 10.120 Cotta introduced the agenda item as a follow-up from the previous study session. O'Meara presented the proposed ordinance changes, emphasizing: • It does not remove judicial discretion for expulsion decisions • It does not expand any geographic areas (currently two ELEAs exist - downtown and Ashland Street business corridor) • It does not limit anyone's ability to seek vital services,as the ordinance allows variances for grocery shopping, medical services, social services, church attendance, and work O'Meara explained that the ordinance only changes the mechanism by which expulsions can be applied for and potentially issued by a judge.The current system is conviction-based,while the proposed change would be based on three or more qualifying violations from distinct incidents,two or more non-person crimes, one or more person crimes,felonies,or unauthorized burning. During questioning from councilors,Chief O'Meara clarified: • The current conviction-based system can take several weeks to years to process cases,during which time individuals can continue negative behaviors • There are over 730 pending cases in Municipal Court with significant backlogs • The proposed changes would allow officers to be more responsive to chronic behavior Councilors discussed that violations must be from separate incidents on different days,concerns about the exception language limiting movement of expelled individuals through ELEA West to vehicular or public transit, concerns about access to community meals, and how to ensure expulsion orders are revoked if a person is acquitted of the underlying charges. Business Meeting September 16,2025 Page 2 of 6 Public hearing opened Daniel Green - acknowledged that while the church has used trespass orders against unhoused individuals,they recognize this as a systemic failure to address social problems that cannot be enforced away. Julie Gillis - stated the changes would disproportionately affect youth, people of color, queer people, and people with disabilities,and urged the Council to vote no. Rich Rohde - noted that 26-42% of unhoused individuals have mental health issues, and exclusion would worsen their conditions. He advocated for an outreach court like Medford's. Noah Werthaiser- compared the policy to "leaf blowers"that simply push problems elsewhere instead of solving them. He argued that if this were truly about behavior, behavioral health services would be integral to the process. Linda Adams - stated the proposal contradicts Ashland's vision of being welcoming and inclusive, pushing the city's most vulnerable neighbors into further marginalization. Debbie Neiswander - raised concerns about due process, noting that the judicial review process might lead to self-incrimination, and brought up issues regarding civil expulsions from parks. Eric Navickas - expressed concerns about how the ordinance changes would affect the presumption of innocence. Nabha Goldfeder- emphasized that the ordinance would push marginalized community members further to the margins, hindering their access to vital services. Toren McKnight - described the proposal as falling in line with national trends to criminalize homelessness and urged the Council to fund resources and services instead. Leona Stovall - argued that criminalizing basic survival mechanisms creates cycles of incarceration and poverty that make it impossible for unhoused people to improve their situations. Joshua Palmer - advocated for redirecting funds from police to emergency warming shelters and social services. Cate Hartzell - objected to creating a parallel process for nonviolent violations that she believed undermines due process and the presumption of innocence. Public hearing closed Following the public hearing,and after extensive discussion and amendments,the following motion was adopted: Bloom moved to approve Ordinance 3273:An Ordinance Amending the Enhanced Law Enforcement Expulsion Process as Outlined in AMC 10.120;amended to include clarification in section 10.120.020a that the three qualifying violations must be separate incidents on different days,to include in section 10.120.040alb that attending meals provided by social service providers is a permitted reason for being in an ELEA,to remove the limitation in section 10.120.040a2 that travel through ELEA West must be via public transit or vehicle,to clarify that acquittal of the underlying violation or misdemeanor terminates the previously enacted expulsion,and to remove camping as a qualifying offense that would lead to expulsion;and to move to second reading.Dahle seconded Business Meeting September 16,2025 Page 3 of 6 the motion. Roll Call Vote:Bloom,Dahle,DuQuenne,and Sherrell-YES. Kaplan,Hansen- NO.Motion passed. Recess taken 8:13-8:21 After further discussion and clarification,the following motion was adopted: Bloom moved to direct staff to present quarterly reports on both ELEA's (East and West),including data on the number of cases qualifying for expulsion and actual expulsions,with the opportunity for councilors to request additional data in future reports by e-mail to the City Manager.Sherrell seconded. Roll Call Vote:Bloom,Dahle,DuQuenne,Kaplan,Sherrell,and Hansen-YES.Motion passed. The motion called for comprehensive reviews of CAP East and West areas to evaluate ordinance outcomes, covering the number of expulsions and any appeal results. Councilors could request further data,focusing on behavior shifts outside ILEAs per concerns about problem displacement.This data-driven approach emphasizes the regular assessment of the ordinance's effectiveness and potential adjustments, ensuring accountability and transparency while safeguarding due process rights. XI. ORDINANCES,RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS a. Resolution 2025-26 A Resolution Amending Resolution 2025-24 to Add Additional Miscellaneous Fees and Charges City Manager Cotta explained this resolution included cleanup elements and several fee adjustments: • Municipal court fees (which were an oversight in the first budget) • Clarification of the public records request process to align with State law • Pioneer Hall and Community Center rental fees,which had been returned to the Parks Commission for review with a focus on affordability and lower rates After short discussion about the process that led to the rental fees and about affordability,the following motion was adopted: Hansen moved to approve Resolution No.2025-26 to Add Additional Miscellaneous Fees and Charges.Kaplan seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote:Kaplan,Sherrell and Hansen-YES.Bloom, DuQuenne- NO.Motion passed. XII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Advisory Committee Member Appointment from the Consent agenda. Hansen requested that this item be held until the next meeting, as the application materials were not included in the packet,and he was unable to reach the applicant.The Council agreed to revisit the item at the next scheduled meeting. Business Meeting September 16,2025 Page 4 of 6 XIII. NEW BUSINESS XIV. CITY MANAGER REPORT Cotta provided several updates: • Links to interviews about the Alameda fire with Interim Chief Razor and Kelly Burns are available in the City Manager's report • The city e-newsletter is live and goes out every two weeks • Councilors and the City Manager hold regular office hours at city hall • The next Coffee and Conversation will be Tuesday, October 14 at 2:30 PM at North Mountain Park Pavilion • Wastewater treatment oxidation tanks are being cleaned for the first time since the 1990s • AFN is working on setting up fiber service at the 45-unit Donald E. Lewis retirement community • Ashland Fire and Rescue will hold an open house on October 10 from 2-6 PM at Fire Station 2 • OLLI courses on general government operations begin tomorrow,with added tours of facilities • A spring OLLI course on land use and community development is being prepared • Construction at the 2200 Ashland Street building is progressing well with roofing work, floor pouring, plumbing installation,and fire sprinkler system installation. The project is expected to be completed by mid-November,with some potential supply chain concerns regarding shower pans and other items. XV. OTHER BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS/REPORTS FROM COUNCIL LIAISONS Dahle and DuQuenne reported that the Social Equity and Race Justice Advisory Committee had a productive meeting with artist Micah BlackLight regarding his project ('Ancestors Future: Crystallizing Our Call'), and is finalizing a community survey that will be available through the City's website. DuQuenne reported that the Public Arts Advisory Committee approved artwork for three ODOT utility boxes located at Tolman Creek in Ashland,Walker in Ashland, and Mountain in Siskiyou. Hansen reported on Parks Commission business, highlighting challenges with the East Main Park project.The project faced budget shortfalls when it was discovered that road frontage from Tolman Creek to Clay Street needed to be fully upgraded to city standards with sidewalks and bike lanes at a cost of$500,000-750,000.The Parks Department worked with the City Manager to identify TLT funds to cover the additional costs,with groundbreaking expected in spring 2026. Hansen also noted that the Transportation Advisory Committee is reviewing crash and near-miss data and working on transportation system planning. Graham announced that the October 6 study session is canceled to allow councilors to attend a conversation with Professor John A. Powell at the Bowmer Theater from 6:30-8:30 PM.This event is part of an effort by local leaders, including the Mayor and Councilor DuQuenne,to create a framework for bringing the community together to address significant challenges. Pre-registration is required due to limited seating. Business Meeting September 16,2025 Page 5 of 6 XVI. ADJOURNMENT Bloom moved to adjourn.Motion was seconded by DuQuenne.All Ayes. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:44 p.m. City Recorder Alissa Kolodzinski Mayor onya Graham Business Meeting September 16,2025 Page 6 of 6 CITY OF ASHLAND 6 A PROCLAMATION IN HONOR OF CONSTITUTION DAY, CITIZENSHIP DAY, AND CONSTITUTION WEEK WHEREAS, September 17,2025,marks the 238th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention in 1787;and WHEREAS,Each year,on September 17,Americans celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, reflecting on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and what it means to be a U.S.citizen; and WHEREAS,The Constitution,along with the Bill of Rights and other amendments,defines our government and guarantees our rights;and WHEREAS,Constitution Week commemorates the eventful week in 1787 when the Constitution was signed,delivered to the Continental Congress,and made known to the people of the country; it laid the foundation for the birth of a new nation and became one of the most significant chapters in our shared history;and WHEREAS,It is fitting and proper to offer official recognition to this visionary document and its memorable anniversary; and to the celebrations which will commemorate the occasion; and WHEREAS,Our nation's military service members,elected leaders,and civil servants across many disciplines take a sacred oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic;and WHEREAS,The Constitution belongs to"We The People,"and no president or other elected leader has the authority to rewrite the fundamental guarantees enshrined in our founding charter; NOW,THEREFORE,I,Tonya Graham,Mayor of Ashland,do hereby proclaim September 17,2025,as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and September 17-23 as Constitution Week.I invite all citizens to spend time this week with our Constitution and discuss with friends,family,and neighbors what this document means to our democracy and how we can work together to protect and defend it. In Ashland we are Better Together. Dated this I6th day of September 2025. A A vA Tonya Gr am,Mayor Alissa K to zinsk,City Recorder ,�