The City of McCleary will hold a public hearing on the emergency ordinance approved for residential treatment facilities.

The hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 at McCleay City Hall.

In October 2016, the City of McCleary learned that the old Mark Reed Hospital building would be repurposed into a residential treatment facility.

Residential treatment facilities provide in-patient services to people experiencing severe mental health episodes deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. Those patients generally are seen on an involuntary basis, brought there by law enforcement agencies. After a short stay at the facility, the patients then are transported back to their home communities.

Since learning of the plans for a residential treatment facility in McCleary, the McCleary City Council has been reviewing city code to determine an appropriate place for those facilities. Initially, the conversation was centered around the specific facility at the Mark Reed Hospital building, but the tone of the conversation was refocused earlier this year to discuss all potential residential treatment facilities.

Following a public hearing with the city’s hearing examiner, the council in July approved an emergency ordinance to allow residential treatment facilities following the recommendations of the hearing examiner. That gave a green light for the facility at the old Mark Reed Hospital building.

The council approved the emergency ordinance because the Great Rivers Behavioral Health Organization (BHO), the agency responsible for the proposed facility, was submitting a permit application the next day. Without an ordinance in place, the city would not have had zoning for residential treatment facilities and may have been in violation of federal law.

With an emergency ordinance in place, the city council is planning to continue researching the issue and will make adjustments to a future ordinance.

Opponents to the facility have expressed their concerns that the facility will bring “dangerous” people to the city and will increase the demand on the city’s limited police department.

Proponents of the facility point out that patients are more often victims of crime than criminals and other similar facilities throughout the state have seldom required the assistance of their local police departments. They also note that the facilities are protected by federal law.

The discussions have led to a lawsuit between the BHO and city of McCleary which alleges violations of constitutional rights.

The public will have an opportunity to comment on the emergency ordinance during the public hearing on Aug. 23.