Longview council adopts ordinance tightening rules on personal property storage on public land with several amendments

The Longview City Council on July 22 adopted Ordinance 3,564, amending Longview Municipal Code sections 7.29.002 and 7.29.040 to regulate the storage of personal property on public land.

Council debated three primary amendments to the draft ordinance. Council member Kendall proposed removing an exception in the "bulky item" definition that excluded "constructed tent" from the definition; council approved that amendment. Kendall also proposed removing a clause that would define "excessive storage" to include items that "interfere with the ordinary use and enjoyment of the public space." That second amendment initially failed on a tie vote, 3‑3, but council later suspended the rules, reconsidered and approved adding the clause back into the ordinance. A final approved amendment simplified the definition of "public property" to read: "public property means all publicly owned and maintained or controlled property." The main motion as amended passed.

Council member discussion focused on enforceability and vagueness. One council member said the "interferes with ordinary use" clause was subjective and expressed concern about law enforcement and staff being asked to enforce a broad standard. The city manager and staff said prior drafts had not fully vetted enforcement protocols and that further staff work would be needed to operationalize the subjective standard for implementation.

City staff said the ordinance text was largely copied from another jurisdiction and that the city will reconvene the task force within a week to continue work on related items, including document recording fees and next steps with partner organizations involved in homelessness and property storage issues.

After several rounds of amendments, procedural motions and a brief suspension of rules to reconsider a tied amendment, the council voted to adopt Ordinance 3,564. The transcript records the adoption but does not list each council member's roll‑call vote in the final tally; the ordinance as amended takes effect per the municipal code's standard effective date for ordinances.

Council members and staff said the city will continue to work with partner organizations, and staff acknowledged the need for clearer enforcement approaches and additional vetting on the more subjective elements of the ordinance.