Downtown business owners and residents urge McKinney council to act on homelessness, safety

Multiple downtown business owners and longtime residents urged the City of McKinney to take stronger steps to address homelessness and related public‑safety and sanitation problems during public comment at the July 15 City Council meeting.

Wendy Gallagher, a downtown business owner of more than 25 years, said employees and customers face daily safety risks, describing verbal harassment, items thrown at staff and people sleeping at her doorways. “After 25 years of investing my time, money, and heart into this community, being told to move is not only dismissive, it’s unacceptable,” Gallagher said, referring to a prior private text exchange with a council member she supplied to the council.

The concern extends beyond harassment to operational conflicts with city rules. Gallagher told council that a city ordinance requiring businesses to post signage that the office is open during business hours conflicts with her decision to keep doors locked for employee safety. She said the requirement places her in a “no‑win situation” between complying with an ordinance and protecting staff.

Longtime downtown resident identified in public comment as Ms. Black described witnessing public drug use, human waste, and trash near homes and the library. “If you don’t think that happens, I promise you that it does,” she told council, saying families avoid downtown indoor public spaces because of sanitation and safety concerns.

Other speakers urged different responses. Paul Ballesteros recommended individualized outreach and building relationships with people experiencing homelessness, and shared a veteran’s case in which agencies combined to secure housing and supportive services. Kyle Sims thanked code enforcement for recent action in his neighborhood and asked the city to convene informal town halls with council members to discuss homelessness, safety and aesthetics.

Faith leader Beth Bentley urged compassion and continued service to people living outdoors while acknowledging the strain on nearby churches that provide clothing and meals. Property owner Mike Redeker raised development concerns about a property he owns near Highway 5 and encouraged the council to consider public‑private partnerships that help activate underused parcels, saying he fears certain planned improvements would have affected his purchase decisions.

Councilmembers acknowledged the problem and announced a downtown security town hall on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at Impact, calling it one of multiple planned conversations. The mayor and council emphasized citizen safety as the first priority while noting the issue is regional and not unique to McKinney.

The public comments preceded council action on unrelated agenda items; no new ordinance or formal policy was adopted at the meeting.

Ending: Councilmembers and staff said they will continue public outreach, a town hall series and coordinated enforcement efforts; a specific policy change or ordinance adoption was not made during the July 15 meeting.