Changes to municipal court and wildfire risk mitigation on agenda for business meeting Tuesday
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
Ashland’s proposed Homeless Services Masterplan will be reviewed by the City Council at its study session Monday, while the Tuesday business meeting agenda includes a potential ballot measure related to the resignation of Municipal Judge Pamela Turner and a discussion of the soon-to-be ratified state wildfire risk map and its effects on Ashland’s city code.
Members of the Homeless Services Masterplan Subcommittee will present their report at the study session Monday, according to the agenda. Council will be asked to consider the report and discuss possible action during the study session.
Council will consider its next move Tuesday after the resignation of the city’s municipal judge Pamela Turner. While Turner’s resignation won’t be effective until 5 p.m. Aug. 30, council has 60 days from then to appoint a replacement to the elected office of municipal judge, according to the agenda item.
In a subsequent agenda item, Turner’s resignation was referred to as a retirement and council is asked to consider a measure for the November ballot amending the city charter turning the municipal judge into an appointed rather than elected position. The potential ballot measure originated from a split vote during a May 25, 2023, citizen’s budget committee, according to meeting materials.
Oregon’s new wildfire risk map could inhibit the city’s ability to enforce a section of city building code — R327 — a requirement for wildfire resilient construction in new residential construction, according to the agenda item.
“Upon finalization of the draft state rules, Ashland will be limited on enforcement of R327 to the properties as designated ‘high’ risk and within the designated wildland urban interface …. Communications with the Oregon Building Codes Division confirm that once the state rules associated with the wildfire map are finalized, Ashland will no longer be able to enforce R327 throughout the city,” the agenda item said.
A letter penned by Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham describing the effect of the change and requesting the state allow local designations of wildfire risk was included with the agenda item.
“The current mapping and rules, together, while achieving a greater degree of wildfire protection in some settings across the state, would inadvertently remove a critical tool in building homes and communities that can withstand the type of devastation we saw in 2020,” the letter said.
“On behalf of the City of Ashland, we are requesting the ability for county and city governments to retain the option to adopt Chapter R327 in areas of ‘Low’ and ‘Moderate’ hazard in the wildland urban interface, as well as preserving any adoptions made previous to the passage of Senate Bill 762,” the letter said.
Public comment is due by Aug. 15 for the change while the final publication of the map is expected Oct. 1, according to the agenda item.
Other council business Tuesday will include announcement of appointments to the city’s budget committee, a request for council approval for more signal utility boxes turned into public art, and a potential ballot item to alter the way candidates compete against one another while running for city council seats.
The meetings will be held in the Ashland City Council chamber, 1175 East Main St. The study session Monday begins at 5:30 p.m., while the Tuesday business meeting begins at 6 p.m. Both meetings can be attended in person or watched remotely through Channel 9 or Channels 180 and 181 (Charter Communications) or live streamed via rvtv.sou.edu (select RVTV Prime).
Public testimony will be accepted and can be delivered either via Zoom, in person, or as written comment. To sign up for public comment, fill out the public testimony form.
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.
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