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Council introduces ordinance to expand downtown enhanced law enforcement area
Summary
The Klamath Falls City Council on March 17 introduced for first reading an ordinance to expand the city's enhanced law enforcement area downtown, extending existing rules on camping and enforcement while preserving specific exceptions for medical, employment and legal access.
Klamath Falls Mayor Carol Westfall and the City Council introduced for first reading an ordinance on March 17 that would expand the city's enhanced law enforcement area to include a larger downtown footprint.
City Attorney Michael Swanson told the council the enhanced law enforcement area was first established in 2019 "because we started to see an uptick in certain activities downtown" and that the ordinance change would enlarge the geographic area to include the Balsiger development and other contiguous blocks. "The blue area would be what's included in the new . . . and you can see it's just a lot more of a regular shape," he said, describing the map shown to the council.
Swanson said the expanded area would give police and code enforcement an additional tool to address unlawful camping and other recurring activities. He emphasized that the ordinance does not bar people from passing through the area for specific, legitimate reasons. "If someone is expelled from the enhanced law enforcement area . . . there are certain exceptions for those folks to still come through there. They're still allowed to pass through. They can get medical service, social services. If they're working or seeking employment, if they have a public meeting, court hearings, meet with an attorney, religious services," he said.
The council held a public hearing on the ordinance; city staff opened the floor for comment and no members of the public spoke on the item. After discussion, a council member moved to introduce the ordinance for first reading by title only; Alder Zeller seconded the motion. The council voted by voice to introduce the ordinance for the first reading; no opposition was recorded on the audio record.
The ordinance would amend city code section 5.285 (the "enhanced law enforcement area"). The city attorney said the expansion is intended to be proactive, addressing activity the city has observed moving into the newly included blocks. Swanson also noted that the enhanced area remains tied to the city's unlawful camping rules and that the expanded boundary would allow enforcement where camping increased.
The council did not adopt the ordinance on second reading on March 17; the action recorded in the meeting minutes and on the record was the formal introduction for first reading.
The next steps are a second reading and final vote at a later meeting; staff did not provide a date for a second reading during the March 17 discussion.
