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Myrtle Creek council adopts ordinance tightening criminal-history checks for applicants
Summary
The Myrtle Creek City Council adopted Ordinance 878 on May 5, 2026, updating municipal code to require criminal-history checks for applicants including employees, business registrants, certain contractors and volunteers; one councilor voted against the measure.
The Myrtle Creek City Council adopted Ordinance 878 on May 5, 2026, updating the city—s criminal-history record-check procedures for applicants for employment, business registration, taxi and agent permits, electrical licenses, tow drivers, certain contractors and volunteers. The ordinance replaces Ordinance 765 and includes language declaring an emergency to allow immediate enactment.
City staff explained that the ordinance standardizes who must authorize a check and how results are reported. A staff member said the police department will make the results available only to the appropriate city official and that written criminal-history reports will be requested from the Oregon State Police identification service when a record appears to exist. The city also set a retention period for records of applicants who are not hired or appointed: "retained in accordance with the requirements of OAR 166-200-0090 for a period of 3 years and thereafter will be destroyed," the presentation said. City staff also stated that records of hired employees or appointed volunteers will be kept in confidential personnel files.
During reading, the council discussed the scope of checks (which categories of applicants are covered) and how the police department will handle reporting. The measure includes a provision that city departments will receive only whether a record exists or not for initial screening; if a record is reported, staff will request a written report from the OSP identification service for further review.
The council voted to adopt the ordinance. The meeting record shows the vote passed with the majority in favor and Council member Brian Pose recorded as voting "nay." The ordinance text specifies immediate effect upon enactment.
The city indicated it intends to monitor compliance with the ordinance and coordinate with the police department on procedures and record retention. No implementation deadline beyond immediate enactment language was provided at the meeting.
