Summer weather is kicking off this weekend! To help with relief of the expected high temperatures the City is opening the Splash Pad at Fox Park! Don't forget to wear your sunscreen and stay hydrated while enjoying the splash pad and sunshine!

Beginning the week of May 8, 2023, Leonard Long Park will be temporarily restricting some areas of the park in order to start construction on the new Pickle Ball Courts! Expect to have limited-to-no access to the south-west corner (near the swings) for various time-periods in the next few months. This may also include entrance to the park from the Kennel Ave side. Great News for our Pickle Ball Players!

Leonard Long Park (next to the Fire Dept.) will be closed temporarily on Thursday, May the 4th, beginning at 7am for work being done on the fir trees. Keeping our trees as healthy as possible thereby improving safety to the public, is a priority for our Parks Department.

City of Molalla - Answering Questions on Homeless/Houseless/Opioid issues affecting Molalla

This one-page fact guide hopefully will help guide conversations and develop solutions as best we can to solve very difficult problems. Please be mindful that this is only a summary, and consider reading the specific Bill, Legislation, Case Law, or Measure for further information.

Martin vs. Boise – Martin vs. Boise is a U.S. Court of appeals for the Ninth Circuit in response to a 2009 lawsuit by six homeless plaintiffs against the City of Boise Idaho regarding the city’s no camping ordinance. In summary, the 2018 ruling held that cities cannot enforce anti-camping ordinances if they do not have enough homeless shelter beds available for their homeless population. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the case leaving this precedent intact for the Ninth Circuit (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington). The Ninth Circuit Court is based out of San Francisco, California.

Oregon House Bill (HB) 3115 – In response to the Martin vs. Boise decision, the Oregon State Legislature approved HB 3115 in March of 2021. This Bill requires that by July 1, 2023, local laws regulating the acts of sitting, lying, sleeping, or keeping warm and dry in outdoor public places be objectively reasonable as to time, place, and manner with regards to persons experiencing homelessness. The Bill also creates an affirmative defense that a law is not objectively reasonable for persons charged with violating local law. Allows persons experiencing homelessness to file suit for relief to challenge the objective reasonableness of local laws. The City of Molalla is required by State Law to adopt a camping ordinance that complies with this law by July 1, 2023. Chief Sponsor of this Bill was Oregon’s current Governor, Tina Kotek. Click on this paragraph to read the bill text.

Current Molalla Public Camping Ordinance - Please click on this paragraph to view the City's current camping ordinance (MMC9.16.020) that has been rendered unlawful by Federal and State Law.

Draft Molalla Public Camping Ordinance - This is a working copy and will not be finalized until the June 28, 2023 Council Meeting. Click on this paragraph to view the Draft Ordinance.

Oregon Measure 110 – Measure 110 (Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act) was approved by Oregon voters in 2020 and went into effect in February 2021. There have been many precursors to this Measure but hidden behind the title, this Measure decriminalized misdemeanor possession charges for marijuana, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and more. It also decreased some felony drug charges to misdemeanors. However, the Measure did not reduce the intent to sell or distribute offenses. There is much more to this Measure that a person would need to read to understand all aspects, and we were supposed to see, as the title suggests, a focus on treatment and recovery. However, only a few areas have experienced these services throughout the State.

Molalla must operate within this difficult legal framework above. However, there are many instances where an individual will and should be arrested for drug related issues. We need the community to contact the Molalla Police Department if any action is witnessed. Posting on Facebook or other social media site will not send the needed message. To report an incident please call 503-655-8211. Please also have a dialogue with our Police Department.

Molalla Hope Warming Center/Extreme Weather Center – This shelter is not operated by the City of Molalla. The property is owned by the City of Molalla and Molalla Hope, Inc. is operating the Center through a Commercial Lease Agreement authorized by the Molalla City Council and partially funded through Clackamas County. Based on the two previous legislative and legal actions there may be a benefit to having the Center operate in Molalla. However, there are also opinions that the existence of the Center is exasperating the situation. The City is working to find the best resolution for the community while working within the framework of the law.

What Can I do to help solve these problems? – Read up on the laws and rules Molalla must operate within and bring your ideas to the conversation. You can also support Oregon (House Bill) HB 2973 which would repeal Measure 110 if it passes, and recriminalize possession/use of illicit drugs. This will allow law enforcement to take the measures necessary to eliminate drug activity which is a major contributor to the recent increase of homelessness issues in Oregon.

How do I support (House Bill) HB 2973? – Follow the Bill, provide public testimony to each committee that reviews it, provide public testimony to our State Representative, Rick Lewis.

The following page contains QR Codes that link to each support task mentioned. If your computer or phone cannot read QR codes, a google search of the terms next to the QR code will get you to the right place(s).

How do I Support HB 2973

Sign up to follow bills in the Oregon House of Representatives

HB 2973 is currently in the House Behavioral Health and Healthcare Committee as of 3/31/23.

Look Under the "Staff" heading for the link to submit public testimony.

Submit Comments to Representative Lewis

Molalla is addressing its road issues, including this project on Shirley St. The section of Shirley St. from HWY 211 to N. Cole will be grinded and paved by the city's On-Call paving contractor, smoothing the road for a safer drive.

The work is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 25th, at approximately 7:00 am, hoping to finish up on Thursday, April 27th. Flaggers will be conducting traffic control for through traffic.

This paving work is part of Molalla's ongoing plan to improve infrastructure, using resources wisely and involving the community in finding solutions.

City officials are hopeful that these projects mark the beginning of more road repairs to benefit the entire community. Molalla remains focused on short-term repairs, long-term planning, and providing opportunities for public input to ensure a better future.

I am asking the community for your help. I often hear that people in our community are hesitant to report suspicious people or circumstances in their neighborhood. Sometimes information is posted on social media sites such as Facebook and the community feels the police aren’t doing anything about what is posted on social media. If you see something happening that seems out of place, makes you feel unsafe, or is criminal behavior, I am asking you to call 911 or the non-emergency police dispatch at 503-655-8211.

~Chris Long

Chief of Police

When should you call 911 or non-emergency dispatch?

911 is for events that are an immediate danger or threat to life or safety, or a suspicious event that is in progress.

Non-emergency means there is no active or immediate danger or after a significant time delay.

Why people Don’t Call:

They don’t want to waste the police’s time or resources.

Calling dispatch helps establish patterns, track statistics, focus patrols, and makes better use of our police resources.

Drugs are legal, so what’s the point?

Violations can be issued.

Delivery and Manufacturing of a Controlled Substance is a crime and enforcement actions can be taken.

Violations and arrests create statistics which are needed to affect legislative changes in the law.

What if I see something that is out of the ordinary or makes me feel unsafe?

Call 911 if it is happening now or just happened.

This includes suspicious people, vehicles, or circumstances, or other obvious criminal behavior.

You can still call even if the suspect has left the area.

Why should I call 911 or non-emergency dispatch?

Police do not monitor social media.

Calling dispatch helps the police department establish focused patrols and gather statistical information.

Statistical information helps prioritize patrol response areas and make better use of police resources.

What happens when you call 911 or non-emergency dispatch?

Dispatchers will ask you a series of questions such as:

What is happening?

Why is it suspicious?

When did it happen?

Describe the vehicle, persons, event.

This information determines the priority or response, and how many officers are needed.

Calling dispatch creates a log or history of events and supports statistical data

Will someone call me back?

Officers will call you after the event and give you what information they can – some information may not be given because of a pending criminal investigation or other factors. Sometimes officers must respond to others calls before they are able to call you back.

Can I be anonymous?

You don’t have to leave your information, however, not having your information means an officer can’t call you back. Witness statements can be essential in court.

I took pictures of the person or event – does this help?

Photos or videos can be very helpful to the investigating officer, a picture tells a thousand words! However, never put yourself in danger for a photo or video!

Meadow and Harvest Intersection

Molalla is addressing its road issues, beginning with the Meadow and Harvest intersection. Chosen for its importance as a bypass during the upcoming Toliver and HWY213 roundabout construction, the city's On-Call paving contractor is smoothing the road for a safer drive.

This paving work is part of Molalla's ongoing plan to improve infrastructure, using resources wisely and involving the community in finding solutions.

In addition to Meadow and Harvest, Eckard Street is also being improved on the very same day. City officials are hopeful that these projects mark the beginning of more road repairs to benefit the entire community. Molalla remains focused on short-term repairs, long-term planning, and providing opportunities for public input to ensure a better future.

Eckard Paving Project

Eckard Paving Project

Updates as of Thursday April 13***

The paving project at Meadow and Harvest will move ahead on Friday April 14th. Please plan your travels accordingly and watch for flaggers and paving equipment in the roadway.

Due to unfair weather conditions, the previously scheduled paving project at Meadow and Harvest has been re-scheduled to begin Friday, April14th. Like all paving projects, the start date is dependent on weather as it is a necessity to ensure proper installation and proper curing of the hard surface being installed.

The intersection of Meadow and Harvest - This one-day project will provide a grind and inlay on one of the City's busier intersections. The project must move forward now due to conflicts with the upcoming Roundabout Project on OR-213 at Toliver, and to salvage the road before it degrades to the point of full tear out and rebuild - a substantially higher cost than repairing with a grind and inlay.

City of Molalla was representated at Molalla High School's 1st Annual Career Fair today. Staff from Molalla Police, Molalla Library, Community Planning and Development, Administration and City Council were present to answer questions and encourage the students on how to consider careers within their own community. Students had the opportunity to earn some swag by answering a few questions about civics, city government roles, sign up for Library Cards and the Molalla Current and obtain tickets for prizes from MRSD. The students and staff had some great conversations and we really enjoyed our time with the students.

City Councilor Childress and Students

Two paving projects are scheduled to begin the week of April 3rd.

Like all paving projects, the start date is dependent on weather as fair weather is a necessity to ensure proper installation and proper curing of the hard surface being installed.

1. The intersection of Meadow and Harvest - This project will provide a grind and inlay on one of the City's busier intersections. The project must move forward now due to conflicts with the upcoming Roundabout Project on OR-213 at Toliver, and to salvage the road before it degrades to the point of full tear out and rebuild - a substantially higher cost than repairing with a grind and inlay.

2. Eckerd, a portion of Lola, and a portion of 2nd - This project will provide grind, inlay, and leveling to repair the road after a major water main and sewer main replacement project in the area.

Additional paving projects will take place throughout the dry season (aka "paving season"). The City will provide notice of each on the Molalla Current as the timeframes come into focus.