Council will review 13 ordinances aimed at modernizing city regulations and hold hearing on rules around the sale of city-owned property
Ashland.news staff report
The Ashland City Council will hear a special presentation from Oregon Shakespeare Festival leadership and review a wide-ranging set of municipal code updates during its Tuesday, Feb. 3, business meeting, according to the meeting agenda.
Additionally, Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham will proclaim February Black History Month, the city agenda notes.
Javier Dubon, OSF’s interim executive director, will give a special presentation to the council, according to meeting documents.
The rest of the business meeting will see city leaders moving forward with municipal code updates, including first readings of 13 ordinances aimed at modernizing city regulations and a second reading of a separate ordinance governing the sale of city-owned real property.
The meeting documents note that the proposed changes are part of an effort to “align Ashland’s codes with state and federal law, improve efficiency, and increase transparency.”
The topics of the ordinances include emergency management and tree safety, noise regulations, permitting, and marijuana retail standards.
The 13 ordinances receiving a first reading fall into three categories: updating references to the correct authority, shifting fees set by council resolution rather than embedding them in code, and making style changes or clarifying corrections, according to city documents. Tuesday’s proposed revisions are the second of several updates, the meeting documents read.
Among the changes is an ordinance establishing the Office of the City Recorder within the city’s administrative and operating departments. The position is now appointed instead of elected.
Other ordinances relate to public safety and enforcement, the meeting documents note. One would establish a clear chain of command if the city manager is not available during an emergency. Others would expand the city’s authority to require removal of hazardous or insect-infested trees that pose fire risks or threaten public safety. Another proposal would prohibit issuing building permits when unresolved code compliance violations exist on a property.
Multiple ordinances address noise ordinances. One proposal would exempt residential heat pumps and air conditioning units from noise limits, given that many cannot meet current standards if installed legally and continue to operate as designed. Additional amendments would move dog noise regulations into a single section of the code and formally distinguish between daytime and nighttime violations.
The council is also considering updates to pot regulations to align the city code with state law by recognizing non-medical sales, updating terminology to “marijuana retailers,” and adjusting permitted hours of operation.
In addition to the first readings, councilors will consider the second reading of Ordinance 3282, which creates a new section of city code governing the disposal of real property. The ordinance received its first reading at the Jan. 20 council meeting, when the council chose the “legal” version of the proposal.
According to meeting documents, the move consolidates requirements from two Oregon statutes into one specific to cities and another applies to all government entities into a single, locally accessible framework. The aim is to ensure legal compliance while making the process easier for people to understand.
The ordinance also aims to make property sales transparent, the documents say. Public land sales often draw significant public interest, the meeting documents noted.
The updates lay out a clear process for property sales and include non-binding “valuation factors” for council deliberation in cases where selling to the highest bidder may not best serve the public interest. State law allows the city to sell property when it is “necessary or convenient” and when the public interest is furthered, even if the maximum price is not the sole objective.
City leaders note the ordinance could provide a financial benefit by allowing the city to sell properties that no longer serve a public purpose, potentially reducing maintenance and insurance costs, among others.
According to city documents, the remaining code updates are not expected to have a fiscal impact beyond staff time and may result in cost savings in some cases.
If approved on first reading, the 13 ordinances would return for second reading and potential adoption at the April council meeting.
Meantime, the city’s ordinance on city property sales would advance following council action on its second reading.
Tuesday’s business meeting begins 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.
Related stories:
Ashland weighs consolidating city services into single civic campus, sale of City Hall (Jan. 16, 2026)
Ashland City Council to review aging city facilities, long-term consolidation plan at special meeting Wednesday (Jan. 12, 2026)
Shakespeare Festival leaders outline recovery plan, emphasize stability and local engagement (Nov. 5, 2025)
Big Ideas: ‘Rebuilding the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Part 2’ (Oct. 29, 2025)
New OSF interim executive director: A front row seat behind the curtain of world-class theater (Aug. 9, 2025)
