Hermiston property owner urges city action on downtown crime, homelessness and illegal vending

A downtown Hermiston property owner told the City Council on Sept. 22 that theft, vandalism, public defecation and widespread unpermitted vending have made the city's core difficult to operate in and urged the council to act. The speaker said the problems centered around Mackenzie Park and sidewalks near East Main and First Street and described recent incidents including people sleeping on sidewalks, spray-paint graffiti, theft of HVAC connectors and an instance when a woman defecated in a private parking lot during business hours. "I put in $60,000 worth [of] air conditioning systems. In the middle of the night, they stole all of the connectors out of the buildings," the speaker said. "It's nonstop. It's every single day." The speaker also described unpermitted food vendors operating from vehicles near the former Circle K on Eleventh Street, saying vendors offered cooked meat without refrigeration, handwashing or sanitation and that the site draws hundreds of customers on weekend nights. He said he had spoken with "Mark" (a staff person) and Umatilla County health officials and that county staff told him they did not typically work weekends or after 4 p.m. The speaker said the county's health inspector visited a veterans potluck at Mackenzie Park, required temporary sinks and permits, and supervised the event for several hours, which he described as selective enforcement. The property owner suggested a city ordinance that would hold property owners responsible when vendors operate on their property, arguing that businesses that operate legally should not have to compete with unpermitted sidewalk sellers. He asked the council: "What are we gonna do about it?" Mayor Meyer responded that the issues "are being discussed amongst the administration, myself, and in certain parts of it, the council. So it is not your issues falling upon dead deaf ears." Council members did not take a formal action on the complaint at the meeting. Why it matters: the complaints touch on public safety, public health and downtown economic vitality. The speaker said the problems have contributed to his decision to stop investing in downtown property development and requested clearer enforcement and potential new ordinances. What happened next: the council did not vote on new enforcement at the meeting. Staff and some council members later discussed that these matters are under administrative review and coordination with the county is ongoing.