Unsheltered task force presents draft ordinances, urges housing and service strategies
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Summary
The city’s Unsheltered Homeless Task Force presented draft ordinance language and a list of community resources April 7; members said the package is intended as a toolkit and emphasized outreach and services rather than automatic punishment. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting.
Members of the Bartlesville Unsheltered Homeless Task Force presented their recommendations to the City Council on April 7 and reviewed draft ordinance language intended to give municipal staff, police and municipal court tools to address recurring public‑space encampments and conduct that harms public health or safety.
Task‑force presenters and staff emphasized the work is intended as a toolkit that pairs enforcement options with referral and services. Task‑force members said the package includes language that would allow warnings and, for repeat behavior, municipal citations (the draft cites a municipal fine “up to $500” as the maximum available under municipal code), but that enforcement should be accompanied by outreach, connection to shelter, job training and mental‑health services where appropriate. Presenters said municipal judges would retain discretion in individual cases and that the drafts should not be read as a plan for automatic daily fines.
Members of the task force and council highlighted that Bartlesville nonprofit agencies and faith‑based providers already operate several services and that the committee is reviewing gaps and barriers that prevent unsheltered people from using those services. The group also recommended signage and a public hotline to connect people in encampments with services before enforcement is pursued.
Two task‑force members voted against forwarding the draft with the package to the council for additional work; they said they supported the goals but were concerned the ordinance draft felt punitive and preferred that staff develop capacity and resource options first. The task force asked council to continue discussion in public forums and to solicit additional stakeholder input before any ordinance changes are adopted.
No council vote was taken on ordinance text at the April 7 meeting; council members thanked the task force for its work and said the council will review the draft and may return it to the task force for edits and broader public engagement.
