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Shelton council delays vote on ordinance that would remove camping protections; public hearing set for June 3
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and questions about cost and shelter capacity, the Shelton City Council voted on May 20 to table an ordinance that would remove the city's current limits on citing people for camping on public property and scheduled a public hearing for June 3.
On May 20, the Shelton City Council voted to table consideration of a draft ordinance that would remove parts of Shelton Municipal Code chapter 8.74 that currently limit criminal penalties for camping on public property, and set a public hearing on the measure for June 3.
The ordinance as drafted would remove section 8.7403 of the municipal code. City Manager Mark Ziegler told the council the proposed change responds to a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision and removes the subsection that defines when a misdemeanor citation for public camping may be issued, including the draft ordinance's existing requirements that city staff contact a person, notify them of available indoor shelter, assist with access to shelter and only charge a misdemeanor after those steps have been taken.
The proposed change prompted broadly split public…
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