An unidentified resident urged the Shelton City Council on Dec. 2 to step up enforcement of local ordinances addressing street camping and shopping carts, saying current systems are “fundamentally broken.”

The comment came during the meeting’s public-comment period. The speaker said a long-standing local nonprofit, Nifty Thrifty, has started offering a $100 reward to retrieve its own shopping carts because the city’s ordinance on carts has not solved the problem. The speaker also described ongoing ADA violations, persistent garbage at River Park and multiple apparent conditional-use-permit infractions at the site.

“We now have a long standing local nonprofit, Nifty Thrifty, that actually is offering a $100 reward just to get their own shopping carts back,” the commenter said. “It shouldn't be necessary in a city that already has a shopping cart ordinance on the books when a nonprofit has to spend a $100 this way.”

The commenter cited an ordinance passed in November 2021 (chapter 8.74), noted only a small number of citations have been issued since revisions in June, and asked whether the city should pursue stronger enforcement, mandatory treatment options, or require NGOs to tie funding to measurable outcomes rather than intentions.

Council members did not take formal action during the public-comment period. City staff and council acknowledged the concerns; the meeting record shows the comment was received and will remain part of the public record. No new enforcement policy or timeline was adopted at the meeting.

The council’s agenda later included several proposals and resolutions (budget transfers, infrastructure contracts and board appointments) but did not contain an immediate follow-up item directing staff to change enforcement practice on street camping or cart retrieval. Residents who raised the issue asked the city for clearer accountability and stronger, outcome-focused responses from nonprofit partners.