Lancaster council adopts urgency ordinance to expedite cleanups of encampments near critical infrastructure

The Lancaster City Council on an 3-0 vote on an urgency ordinance to declare a local emergency related to impacts of homelessness on critical infrastructure and to accelerate procurement and cleanup work around drainage channels and other at-risk sites.

City staff told the council the ordinance would allow the city to implement protective measures such as temporary fencing and grates more quickly than the standard procurement process. The staff report said the city had cleaned up 575 encampments in a roughly 6-square-mile corridor since the prior ordinance took effect, removing 1,196 tons of debris and responding to 71 fires associated with encampments in that area.

The vote was taken after more than an hour of public comment during which clergy, faith-based organizations and residents urged rapid action and said the ordinance would protect children and parks. Several speakers…