Minor changes made to job description for city manager

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

Ashland City Council approved an update to the buildable lands inventory and responded to recommendations from the Social Equity and Racial Justice Commission but failed to complete an agenda item related to the search for a new city manager and city attorney Tuesday. 

The buildable lands inventory (BLI) has been created by Ashland’s Community Development Department through reviewing Portland State University population growth projections and Ashland’s developable land both inside and outside the existing urban growth boundary, said Senior Planner Aaron Anderson. 

Ashland is expected to need 848 new dwelling units in the next two decades, Anderson said. According to the BLI, the city could build 1,407 dwellings within its existing Urban Growth Boundary and another 1,303 through expanding the boundary, with a total of 2,710 new units possible. 

Community Development Director Brandon Goldman said the city is expected to grow at a rate of 1% per year, according to the PSU projections the state mandates cities rely on. 

The BLI was previously reviewed in depth at the May 14 council study session and was recommended by Anderson and Goldman for adoption as a technical support document to inform the city’s strategic plan. 

Councilor Eric Hansen asked what the city could do if the population projections are wrong and Ashland experiences a population boom instead. 

Anderson stated it’s important to remember the projections don’t account for existing housing deficits. Goldman said if population growth changes, PSU’s estimates will change and the city will adapt. Its upcoming Climate Friendly Communities plans will also likely create new opportunities to accommodate population density. 

“I think we’re always looking at how to accommodate the population through our existing urban growth boundary through zone changes,” he said. 

Councilor Jeff Dahle referred to the document as the “cornerstone of where we start.” Councilor Bob Kaplan said he was “content” with the document’s ability to answer Ashland’s needs. 

Council voted unanimously to adopt the document.

Social Equity and Racial Justice Commission recommendations reviewed

Council also heard recommendations from its Social Equity and Racial Justice Commission. 

The commission recommended the city hire a professional to do a “deep dive” on its possible complicity in harm to traditionally marginalized peoples in the past to better right those wrongs. 

A “cursory” look at the city’s history was completed by the commission and, aside from an effort to prevent Chinese immigration long ago, little was located. But successes rather than wrongdoing are likely to be found in such a surface level report, said Tara Houston, soon to be co-chair of SERJAC. 

Council voted unanimously to direct city staff to explore the possibility of such a hire and project as part of the next budget biennium. 

The commission also recommended an inclusion of antisemitism specific training in its ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training. Outgoing commission chair Emily Simon stated a previous lean on “religious tolerance” with no mention of antisemitism was a “political decision” designed to get the commission’s feedback on the city’s DEI assessment to council as fast as possible. 

Speaking as a Jew experiencing this issue personally, she said she wanted to amend her involvement in that decision. Two members of Ashland’s Jewish community spoke during public comment on the SERJ report to state there has been an increase in antisemitic statements or actions since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. 

“It’s alive and existing in Ashland,” said Gil Livni. 

Livni stated he has experienced a bullet in his window, a swastika on his property, nails in the tire of his car and remarks such as, “For a Jew, you’re actually OK.” 

Council directed staff to include antisemitism-specific training with the understanding, as mentioned by Interim City Manager Sabrina Cotta, that the city’s training budget is stretched thin. 

In other council business Tuesday, council also unanimously approved a budget supplemental to recognize revenue from grants for Ashland Parks & Recreation and revenue from timber sales related to Ashland’s watershed helicopter logging project. 

An agenda item focused on the search for a new city manager and a new city attorney was moved to the end of the meeting and reached with five minutes to spare. 

Council had time to unanimously approve a few alterations to the job description for the city manager position to be given to a recruitment firm for a nationwide search to fill the position, according to an explanatory statement by Human Resources Director Molly Taylor. 

Councilor Paula Hyatt suggested incorporating an emphasis on emergency management skills and an inclusion of the city attorney with those the city manager cannot terminate or discipline, alongside elected officials and Parks & Recreation employees. Council unanimously approved the alterations and the meeting was adjourned with no statement as to when the remaining facets of the agenda item would be revisited. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.

July 19: Aaron Anderson’s title corrected.