Coos Bay committee refines draft camping rules, debates 10-foot setback and nonprofit registration

A city committee in Coos Bay reviewed a narrowed set of proposed amendments to the municipal code intended to regulate temporary camping and to create a private-camping registration for nonprofit or institutional sites, saying the changes would be forwarded to the City Council for consideration.

Nicole (committee staff) told the group they were working from a shortened "step report" focused on five specific edits and that, if the council enacted the ordinance on a typical schedule, it would carry a 30-day enactment period with an anticipated effective date near Jan. 1.

The meeting covered several substantive items: the definition of "family," limits on the number of campsites at a private site, eligibility for shelters on property owned by religious institutions or IRS-registered nonprofits, a proposed 10-foot setback for tents and camping shelters from property lines, and a two-page private-camping registration with health, safety and liability acknowledgements.

On setbacks, the committee returned repeatedly to enforceability concerns. Law enforcement and staff cautioned that property lines are often unmarked and that officers do not typically have authority to enter private yards to measure distances. "How do we know what 10 feet away from the property line is because of land surveys and stuff?" a staff member said, urging caution. Supporters countered that a setback creates a baseline standard for resolving neighbor complaints. After a show of hands the group was split but leaned toward keeping a 10-foot separation language in the draft.

The private-camping registration summarized site requirements: address and ownership information, sanitation and waste-disposal plans, acknowledgment that authorization may be revoked, and an explicit limit (as written) of up to three motor vehicles, tents or any combination used for camping on a registered site. The registration also states that hosts "will not require or accept any payment or monetary charge" from campers; committee members discussed clarifying that nonprofits may receive state or grant funding to support services while avoiding tenancy implications. As Scott Cooper noted when citing House Bill 2006 language, some provisions allow organizations to recoup limited fees: "the organizational providing services ... may charge a fee no more than 300 per month per client," he said, and the committee discussed wording that would permit grants or public funds without creating tenant-landlord relationships.

Committee members also flagged a drafting inconsistency: sanitation (access to clean restrooms, handwashing stations and waste disposal) appears in some places as a mandatory ordinance requirement and elsewhere described as a voluntary best practice. John (committee member) moved to strike the contradictory voluntary language so the document would not present conflicting standards.

No formal council vote was taken at the meeting; the committee reviewed the five highlighted edits, resolved several wording issues and asked members to submit any last-minute changes to staff within 48 hours before the draft goes to City Council. The committee set its next meeting for January and identified follow-ups including presentations on solid-waste/recycling changes and community clean-up programs.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this report include Melanie Metesky, who introduced herself as "the housing navigator for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos...here at Coos Bay"; Scott Cooper, who raised implementation questions about fee language and House Bill 2006; and multiple staff members and law-enforcement representatives who cautioned about enforcement limits for property-line setbacks and private-property inspections.

The City Council will receive the committee's recommended draft; the ordinance, if adopted, would be subject to the city's normal enactment period and any further edits by council.