Council approves take-home policy

The city has a new take-home vehicle policy for its police department and a new ordinance governing recreational vehicles.

Portland City Council approved the take-home vehicle policy and the RV ordinance during its meeting Monday, both on 6-1 votes.

The take-home vehicle policy stemmed from previous discussions about adding vehicles to the police department’s fleet. Some officers had been allowed to take home vehicles at the chief’s discretion over the years. The council then discussed the policy during a work session last month.

Police Chief Dustin Mock, who took over the role at the beginning of the year, told the council he had made three changes to his original proposal as suggested by council members at the work session. Those included:

•That officers are responsible for the proper conduct of passengers (passengers must be authorized by the chief, assistant chief or shift sergeant)

•Inspections of vehicles will be carried out quarterly or at random intervals

•If an officer is found to be negligent and causes damage to the vehicle, they may be subject to disciplinary measures and forfeit the assigned vehicle

The policy also includes that: vehicles may be used in Jay County and adjacent counties, subject to the chief’s discretion, and for authorized training or events; officers may not use a vehicle for personal purposes without written permission; officers may not leave firearms in a vehicle without it being secured in the trunk or by other means; and a minimum of one fully functional and equipped patrol car will be at the station and available for part-time and reserve officers.

Council member Mike Aker said he has heard concerns from residents regarding vehicles being driven outside of the city and county. He suggested a 2-mile radius around the city, questioned the amount of money being spent on gas for officers who live out of county to drive home and said he could not vote for the policy without tighter restrictions on where vehicles are driven.

Mock said it is difficult to recruit officers, especially if either city or county residence is required, noting that a current open position has had one applicant. He said he feels the improved response time in emergencies offsets the cost of driving vehicles home.

Council members Dave Golden, Kent McClung and Ron May said they had heard similar concerns to those raised by Aker. May agreed that vehicles should not be driven out of the county, while Golden expressed sympathy for the difficulties of recruitment.

Council member Ashley Hilfiker said she felt Mock has been flexible and had made the changes requested during the work session. She motioned to approve the ordinance, which passed 6-1 with Michele Brewster, Matt Goldsworthy, McClung, Golden, Hilfiker and May in favor and Aker dissenting.

(McClung addressed the city ordinance’s residency requirements for police officers. It states that applicants must “reside within the County of Jay, a county that is contiguous to Jay County; a county that is noncontiguous to Jay County, but is not more than 50 miles from the closest boundary of the City of Portland; or willing to establish this residence upon appointment.”)

Council approved a new recreational vehicle ordinance on second reading, having made no changes to the ordinance to the original proposal following a work session last month. The vote was 6-1, with May dissenting. He said he feels the ordinance goes too far from addressing the original issue of an RV that was blocking the line of sight for drivers at an intersection.

The ordinance says recreational vehicles, defined as RVs, motor vehicle carriers, motor homes, campers, boats, boat trailers, recreational equipment trails and trailers, may not be parked in a front yard unless they are in a garage, carport or driveway; when parked in a street or alley, recreational vehicles may not impede or obstruct traffic or the line of sight for a regular vehicle; recreational vehicles may not be parked “on residential premises” for more than 24 hours during loading and unloading; recreational vehicles may not be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping when parked or stored at any location not approved for that use. Violations of the ordinance call for a fine of between $100 and $1,000.

As she had last month, Portland resident Trisha Myers spoke against the ordinance, saying she feels it places an undue burden on RV owners. She called the ordinance “ridiculous” and said, “You make people want to leave the City of Portland, not stay here.”

She and council members had a brief back-and-forth before the vote.