Grants Pass council rewrites camping rules, declares emergency and designates temporary "authorized resting sites" amid court injunction

Grants Pass — The City Council voted to rewrite city rules on sleeping and personal property in parks, consolidate camping restrictions into a single parks chapter, declare an emergency so the ordinance takes effect immediately, and adopt a resolution identifying temporary "authorized resting sites" in the downtown area.

City Attorney Stephanie Nudl told council the changes are intended to respond to a federal-civil-rights lawsuit and recent state law requiring any regulation of sitting, lying, sleeping or keeping warm and dry outdoors to be “objectively reasonable as to time, place and manner with regard to persons experiencing homelessness.” She said the revisions consolidate overlapping rules in Grants Pass Municipal Code chapter 5.61 and chapter 6.46 and add clearer definitions and site limits. "This action supports council's goal of leadership by amending the city laws to clarify and consolidate the laws regarding use of city parks and authorized resting sites," Nudl said.

Nut graf: The ordinance and companion resolution come amid litigation by Disability Rights Oregon, which obtained a preliminary injunction earlier this year blocking enforcement of parts of the city's camping ordinance. Council members and staff said the code rewrite and the city’s established sites are intended to address the court's concerns while preserving public-safety and park access.

The ordinance moves the prohibitions on sleeping on sidewalks and in doorways into chapter 5.61 and shifts camping-related definitions…