Police chief asks council to approve contracting for an additional bed in county jail
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
Ashland City Council on Tuesday will review a list of options for how the city could search for recruits to fill the position of city manager.
The city could pursue a contract with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, as the city of Talent previously did at an estimated cost of $10,000. City staff presented a higher cost estimate for working with a recruiting firm at the Jan. 16 meeting and were directed by council to learn the cost and benefits of working with RVCOG instead, according to a staff report.
On the consent agenda Tuesday is a request from Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara to secure an additional bed at the Jackson County Jail. The request would amend an agreement dating back to 2016 establishing the rental of two beds on an as-needed basis for the city of Ashland at the jail.
The third bed would, “allow for an additional person that has demonstrated chronic negative behavior to be housed when jail availability would otherwise see that person released back into the community, often presenting on ongoing public safety issue,” according to a staff report. The new agreement would increase the rental cost of the bed from $100 a night to $110 per night, a cost expected to be absorbed by the department’s existing budget.
Council will also vote on a first reading of the updated Parks, Trails and Open Spaces Map. The map has been updated for the first time since 2002 and reflects a change in the future plans and strategy of the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission from an emphasis on land acquisition for parks creation to trail connectivity and riparian protection, according to a staff report.
In other council business Tuesday, councilors will review a change in policy for contracts procurement to increase efficiency and reduce costs for the city, vote to approve the Jackson County, Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, and present a life saving award for Ashland Fire & Rescue staff Captain Todd Beck (retired), Ty Haggard and Matt Brown.
The meeting is set to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the Ashland City Council chamber, 1175 East Main St. Proceedings are cablecast live on Channel 9 (or 180), streamed online at rvtv.sou.edu (RVTV Prime), and posted online at bit.ly/coavideos the day after the meeting. To view the full agenda, click here.
Due to the President’s Day holiday, there will be no council study session on Monday, Feb. 19.
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.
