Astoria City Council Work Session - July 29, 2025

Note: The agenda and minutes indicate this meeting occurred on Monday, July 28, 2025, but the user-provided date is July 29, 2025. This summary uses the user-specified date as instructed.

The Astoria City Council held a work session on July 29, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The primary focus was a discussion on the state of District Court and Correction Services within Clatsop County, featuring presentation by Clatsop County Sheriff Matthew Phillips and Presiding Judge Peterson. The council also briefly noted that the discussion on the City Council Work Plan was rescheduled to a future work session. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were taken during this work session.

Discussion Items

• Discussion on District Court and Corrections within Clatsop County
  • Judge Peterson outlined the court structure: circuit courts are courts of general jurisdiction, handling everything from small claims to felonies. He noted that the public defender crisis has improved locally, with the list of unrepresented individuals dropping from 160 to about 12–15, and appointment times reduced to roughly 20 days. However, he cautioned that this is fragile; a 5–7% increase in criminal filings could push the list back to 50–60.
  • Sheriff Phillips discussed the impact of Senate Bill 48 (2023), which presumes release for most offenses unless the person is charged with a felony or person crime, or has a high public safety risk score. He stated that only about 10–15% of booked individuals are held to see a judge, and many officers now use cite-and-release because they know arrests lead to immediate release. This “catch and release” cycle does not serve the individual or the community.
  • Sheriff Phillips highlighted the jail’s programs: the jail has a capacity of 148 beds, currently housing 60–70 inmates, with a contract to house up to 12 Benton County inmates at $98 per bed per day plus medical costs. The medication-assisted treatment program (using buprenorphine or methadone) is successful, with a 92% qualification rate, 79% entry rate, and 21% completion rate (with 50% still in the program). The deflection program also has strong metrics, but completion rates are low for those without a criminal charge (track two).
  • Council members asked about specific offenses listed in the proposed (but failed) enhanced enforcement zone ordinance. Judge Peterson explained that many lower-level offenses (e.g., criminal mischief, theft) are not held to see a judge under SB48 unless they are felonies, person crimes, or meet specific override criteria. The override criteria are set at the judicial district level, approved by the Chief Justice, and are offense-specific.
  • Chief Kelly noted that prior to the public defender crisis, the DA’s office sometimes negotiated lower-level misdemeanors down to violations to conserve defense attorney resources. He also cited two repeat offenders with 142 and 134 contacts who were not charged until they reached a threshold, partly due to defense attorney shortages.
  • City Manager Scott Spence raised concerns about non-compliance with the camping ordinance, noting that without consequential enforcement, the situation is worsening. He displayed photos of current conditions and urged the council to find a solution to address impacts on public spaces and adjacent businesses.
  • Councilors discussed the need for a path to compliance, including daytime services, and debated the merits of punitive versus positive incentives. Councilor Adams expressed interest in revising the camping ordinance’s penalties and exploring a municipal court option. Councilor Mazzarella stated she could not support criminalizing homelessness without providing a place to go during the day. Councilor Lump emphasized the need for consequences for bad behavior, while Councilor Adams (the latter) argued for focusing on positive incentives like housing-first approaches.
  • The council agreed to schedule future work sessions to hear from the District Attorney’s office and local service providers (CCA, Lifeboat, CBH, Helping Hands) to better understand resources and potential solutions.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken. The discussion on the City Council Work Plan (agenda item 3.b) was rescheduled to a future work session.
• The council directed staff to arrange future work sessions with the District Attorney and social service providers to continue the conversation on enforcement, services, and addressing homelessness and public safety.