The second of four town hall sessions hosted by Medford City Council drew some four dozen residents Wednesday and covered everything from homelessness and splash pads to capital improvements and population growth.

City officials said the series of sessions is a follow-up to a similar series last year. They are meant to give residents a chance to learn about upcoming projects and issues, and to share any concerns they have.

Last year’s series had a more contentious energy. The Medford library was on the brink of being declared a nuisance property due to an excessive number of calls for police service, and community members were up in arms over fires along the Bear Creek Greenway and safety concerns in the downtown.

On Wednesday, City Manager Brian Sjothun told the crowd that the 2023 series drew over 800 residents to four sessions and helped guide discussions and policy changes over the past year, including an expansion of the Medford Police Department’s Livability Team and public input provided to state officials that led to revisions to Measure 110.

The latest series, which has one session planned in each of the city’s four wards, kicked off April 3 at North Medford High School. Wednesday’s session was held at Oakdale Middle School. Attendees were able to submit notes or questions to be read aloud.

Wednesday’s crowd was quiet. Mayor Randy Sparacino remarked at how quickly the panel of city and Jackson County officials moved through the list of topics. A handout provided to audience members covered everything from homelessness to transportation and housing projects.

Police Chief Justin Ivens told the audience that his department had secured funding to add 13 police officers over the next four years. Three of the new officers will be added to the Livability Team, which provides outreach and enforcement for homelessness-related issues in the downtown and along the Greenway.

Ivens said a recent count of homeless camps indicated progress on providing resources to the community’s unhoused. A survey last March recorded 186 documented camps. By September, the number had dropped to 56. Ivens told the crowd he was “extremely proud to say” that, as of last week, the number was 17.

Six of the 17 camps were on city property. The rest were on either private property or Oregon Department of Transportation land, Ivens said.

On the topic of road projects, John Vial, Medford’s public works director, offered updates on projects ranging from an overhaul of Foothill Road and wastewater plant improvements to modifications of the Highland Drive and Barnett Road intersection to prevent backup at the freeway onramp.

On housing, Medford Planning Director Matt Brinkley talked about changes being made to a planned “3D-printed” housing development — including that it will no longer be 3D-printed — and other developments that will increase the city’s housing supply.

Brinkley said the city issued 643 building permits last year for homes. In his seven years with the city, the population has grown from 80,000 to 90,000, he said, and is projected to add another 37,000 residents over the next 25 years.

In another attempt at encouraging infill, providing affordable housing and giving residents flexibility with their properties, the city has continued a program to waive development fees — which range from $6,000 to $8,000 — associated with accessory dwelling units.

Discussion circled around to recreation — the now-defunct Jackson Pool will soon be replaced with a splash pad — and Rogue X has been an economic boon for the city with 30,000 open swim visitors during its first month in operation.

City Attorney Eric Mitton discussed revisions to camping laws inside the city, changes to Measure 110 and providing police with tools to address ongoing issues with homelessness and crime.

Other topics ranged from the ongoing mental health crisis and the overcrowded jail to needed road improvements and anticipated hotel developments in the coming years.

Mayor Sparacino said he was encouraged by the level of participation at the town hall sessions. He said “the information and the emotion we felt from those (first) town halls truly did guide our council.”

After the meeting, Sparacino said he welcomed any opportunity to “explain to the constituency why we do certain things and how we do them. It’s our opportunity to get feedback to help us do things even better.”

Ava Sanders, who attended Wednesday’s town hall with a neighbor, applauded the city for reducing the number of homeless camps and for Hawthorne Park seeming cleaner than it had last year. Sanders said she attended last year’s sessions and attended this week to hear about efforts to increase housing stock and to learn about planned capital improvements.

“We mostly just came to listen. It’s nice they have these so people can come find out what’s going on and what’s being worked on. It’s easy to get upset with how things are, but when you hear them explain the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of things … it usually will at least make a little sense,” she said.

“There weren’t any big surprises. We need more housing. We have a lot of roads projects going on. Overall, it felt pretty informative and like our elected officials are, at the very least, trying to be accessible to the public.”

Upcoming sessions are set from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, at Hedrick Middle School, 1501 E. Jackson St. (Ward 4) and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at Rogue X, 901 Rossanley Drive (Ward 3).