Oak Harbor police advisory board reviews proposed "stay‑out" drug‑zone ordinance ahead of council vote

Oak Harbor’s police advisory board spent the meeting reviewing a proposed stay‑out‑of‑designated‑area ordinance — commonly called a SODA ordinance — that would allow courts to prohibit individuals convicted of drug offenses from returning to defined downtown blocks for up to 24 months.

“This ordinance creates a stay out of designated order, a new court order for the courts,” Chief Slowick said, describing two map options under consideration and explaining that the tool is tied to drug incidents and court‑issued orders rather than new police powers. He told the board he will ask city council at its Dec. 2 meeting to establish a SODA zone if council chooses to do so.

Chief Slowick described option 2 boundaries as Southwest 8th Avenue to the north, State Route 20 to the east, SW Bayshore Drive to the south and SW Erie Street to the west, noting that option 2 would include two grocery stores and two pharmacies while excluding other businesses. “When we come back to city council on December 2, I will be asking for a SODA zone to be established,” he said.

Board members pressed on practical details: whether essential services would be reachable for people subject to orders, how courts could tailor exceptions and whether the zone might simply push activity to nearby localities. Chief Slowick said courts could allow narrow exceptions — for example, to permit banking — and pointed to similar ordinances in Arlington, Monroe and Burien as models the city used in drafting the proposal.

Council members who spoke during the CAB meeting warned of enforcement costs and potential displacement. One council member said proactive enforcement requires significant resources and that some individuals move elsewhere rather than accept services. Chief Slowick replied that neighboring jurisdictions had some success and that the ordinance is intended to encourage acceptance of services for people on the margins.

The board did not take a formal vote endorsing the ordinance during this meeting, but several members indicated support and asked staff to reflect support in the CAB presentation to council. The ordinance itself, as presented, relies on court orders and the city prosecutor to request stay‑out orders; the board was told police would document activity and refer cases to the city attorney for civil filing when needed.

The next formal step for the SODA proposal is the city council meeting on Dec. 2, when the council will consider whether to create a designated zone and which map option to adopt.