BCC acts on parks ordinance, county mental health court implementation
From our weekly issue dated March 18, 2009
During an administrative meeting on Tuesday, March 10 at the courthouse in Grants Pass, the Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted 2-0 to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among several agencies regarding the development and implementation of a mental health court.
There are several parties to the MOU, including Josephine County Circuit Court, district attorney’s office, sheriff’s office, Community Corrections Dept., Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety, Josephine County Public Defenders, Josephine County Defense Lawyers Inc., Options for Southern Oregon, the regional branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Union Drop-in Center, Senior and Disabled Services Division, Mid-Rogue Independent Physicians Association, Oregon Health Management Services, Choices Counseling Center and Women’s Crisis Support Team.
According to the MOU, its purpose is to “delineate roles and responsibilities of all partners and secure their commitment to work towards the development and implementation” of a mental health court in the future.
The entities signed on to the MOU have agreed to participate in the court’s Planning Oversight Committee, and share responsibility for its design and forming its implementation plan. Also, to determine how to use current resources for implementation, fund and sustain the program, share information about the needs, barriers and utilization of services, identify existing services which may need enhancement to support the court and identify gaps in services that need to be addressed.
During its weekly business session on Wednesday, March 11 at Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass, the county commissioners voted 3-0 to pass the first reading of the new Josephine County Parks Ordinance.
Section 4.00 of the seven-page ordinance allows the board to delegate “part or all of its authority” to the parks program and allows it to “post additional rules for the use of park facilities as may be necessary.”
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Another portion, Section 5.00, deals with compliance and enables park employees to order persons failing to comply with the ordinance to leave the park area.
“Any person who refuses to leave the park area after having been ordered to do so by a parks program employee may be subject to arrest for criminal trespass,” the ordinance reads.
Section 8.00 deals with animals. It states that “no person shall allow an animal to run unrestrained.” It goes on to state that animals “must at all times be on a leash or otherwise confined,” unattended animals may be taken by animal control officers and leashes must be six feet long or less.
“No person shall tie or tether any animal to any tree, plant, shrub or brush, or to any building or structure,” the ordinance states. “No animal shall be left unattended, whether in a vehicle or otherwise.”
Kegs of beer are prohibited in county parks under Section 13.00 of the ordinance, unless authorized by the parks program manager pursuant to a parks usage agreement.
Section 14.00 of the ordinance deals with enforcement and penalties. It states that anyone damaging park property “shall be liable to the county for three times the amount of damage.” The ordinance also enables the county to reserve the right to seek civil damages for violation of the rules.
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