Residents urge Shelton officials to enforce laws and clean illegal camps, citing public‑safety and litter concerns

Multiple residents addressed the Shelton City Council during the general public‑comment period to urge tougher enforcement and cleanup of illegal homeless encampments they said are harming public safety and quality of life.

Dave Mortensen, who said he was a longtime educator in Shelton, described finding "areas that are 5 feet thick of garbage" and "needles everywhere." He said his group, which he called the Mesa County Cooling Crew and a follow‑on group "No More," is collecting documentation and petitions and wants the city to work with business owners and landowners to enforce ordinances and require cleanup. "We're tired of just what's going on… putting pressure on public officials to enforce the laws regarding illegal camps in town," Mortensen said.

Bill Hyatt, who described himself as a newer Mason County resident, recounted a prior violent incident he attributed to people living unsheltered and described observing what he said were high volumes of people using a mobile service in a short period: "In the span of 1 hour, there's 20 people that went into that facility. They spent an average of 3 minutes in there." Hyatt said he helped coordinate a local cleanup effort that removed nearly 70,000 pounds of garbage from a hillside in eight weeks and asked the city to work with volunteers.

Mortensen and Hyatt both asked the city to enforce existing ordinances and state laws, pursue cleanup actions and work with landowners; Mortensen said the group's top priority is getting rid of a vehicle he described as an "ETS truck" that he said created problems in town. No formal council action or vote occurred during the public‑comment period; staff and council did not announce immediate enforcement steps at the meeting.