Alamosa council votes to keep Saint Benedict campsite open, tightens rules and requires waste disposal language

The Alamosa City Council voted unanimously to keep the Saint Benedict temporary campsite open and to continue enforcing the revised site rules while adding a requirement that human waste be disposed of only in designated sanitation facilities.

The decision, reached after a public hearing that drew more than a dozen speakers and a staff presentation, follows six months of increased enforcement and new rules the city and the homeless coalition implemented after higher levels of nuisance, vandalism and safety incidents in 2023–24. City staff reported a marked drop in campsite population and in calls for service since enforcement increased: from roughly 100 residents at its peak to about 10–14 residents as of an April 29 count, and average police calls tied to the site falling from about 17.25 per month to about 4.14 per month.

City staff summarized the changes made since last summer, including clearer written rules, monthly cleanups (now expected participation by residents), tighter pet rules, prohibitions on tampering with city property and measures to reduce on‑site fires. The homeless coalition and police department provided data the council used in its review.

Heather Sanchez, city staff, told the council the site was created in 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic and earlier Ninth Circuit precedent (Martin v. Boyse) and that a later U.S. Supreme Court decision (City of Grants Pass v. Johnson) altered the legal requirements…