Longmont council rejects sit-and-lie ordinance after weeks of outreach planning

The Longmont City Council on Sept. 9 rejected a proposed ordinance amending Title 10 of the Longmont Municipal Code (Section 10.24.130) that would have prohibited sitting, lying, kneeling or reclining in specified commercial right-of-way areas. Councilor Susan Christ moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion failed 3–4. Four council members were recorded as opposing the measure.

Council members and city staff spent more than an hour discussing the ordinance, which public safety said was intended as a narrow tool for specific locations with repeated calls for service from businesses, not a general solution to homelessness. Public Safety Chief Zack Artis said the city had recorded roughly 450 calls for service related to unhoused individuals in a six-month period and that most contacts did not result in enforcement. Artis said CDOT (the Colorado Department of Transportation) has a broader affidavit and signage option that could prohibit presence on CDOT-owned right-of-way; the city measure was narrower…