Council slated to review proposal from OHRA to run severe weather shelter at 2200 Ashland St., union agreements and quarterly financial report
Ashland.news staff report
The Ashland City Council will consider a proposal from the nonprofit that manages its dedicated camping lawn to operate the city’s severe weather shelter during its regular business meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The shelter at 2200 Ashland St. is expected to open Dec. 1 through April 1 for the winter when the temperature is 32 degrees or below, according to meeting documents.
Sabrina Cotta said in a Monday, Nov. 10, email that the shelter would offer 32 beds to those seeking shelter during extreme weather. Meeting documents note that the shelter would be open from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m.
According to the meeting documents, the city would contribute $30,000 from its general fund, while Opportunities for Housing, Resources, & Assistance (OHRA) would cover a majority of the operational costs using a state grant that would allow the organization to operate the facility with little cost to the city. The cost for OHRA would be $100,000.
The proposal includes OHRA staffing the facility with a site coordinator, four part-time staffers, and trained volunteers.
According to meeting documents, construction at the shelter so that the facility meets state fire codes is slated to be completed at the end of November. State fire codes limited the capacity at the shelter due to the building, which the city purchased, mostly using state grant funds, being designed as office space.
Collective bargaining agreement
The Council will review a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 1269 and Teamsters Local 223, representing Parks and Recreation employees. The agreements cover wages, benefits, and cost-of-living adjustments through 2028, according to meeting documents.
The agreement includes a 4% annual cost of living adjustment and the addition of Christmas Eve as a holiday. Teamsters employees will receive adjustments based on the recently completed compensation and classification study the city commissioned earlier this year, the documents note.
The city estimates a $271,174 fiscal impact for the union contract, with budget savings identified to offset costs.
City finance update
Council will also review quarterly financial statements through the end of September, including revenues, expenditures, fund balances, and cash and investment reports.
According to city documents, the city’s revenue was $20.4 million, up nearly 5% from last year. Meantime, just over 22% of the city’s expenditures were related to personnel services, and over 26% went to material services.
The city’s total fund balance is at $80.4 million, which is down 2.8%, while the general fund is at $10.1 million, down nearly 31%, the documents note.
Study session Monday
During the city’s Monday, Nov. 17, study session, councilors will review Ashland’s camping enforcement. Since January 2024, the city has taken 178 actions with 25 misdemeanor-level violation citations.
City leaders will also start the first phase of modernizing city codes to remove outdated language, clarify the code, and align with state law.
Monday’s study session starts at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday’s business meeting at 6 p.m. Meetings are held in the Ashland City Council chamber at 1175 E. Main St. Proceedings are cablecast live on Channel 9 (or 180), streamed online at rvtv.sou.edu (RVTV Prime), and posted online the day after the meeting.
Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at stevem@ashland.news.
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Ashland’s ‘night lawn’ camping area regularly exceeds capacity (Oct. 29, 2025)
‘We don’t want anybody left in a lurch’: Ashland’s unhoused get wildfire evacuation plan after concerns raised on local radio show (Oct.14, 2025)
Activist accuses Ashland police of using ‘night lawn’ to entrap homeless (June 17, 2025)
