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Meridian staff propose camping ban, loitering‑plus, and revised noise rules to align with state law and recent court rulings
Summary
Staff presented three proposed code updates: a state‑mandated camping ban; a ‘loitering‑plus’ ordinance that enumerates specific conduct to avoid vagueness following a U.S. district court decision; and a revised noise ordinance intended to address a court ruling involving Boise. The council directed staff to notice and return with ordinances for adoption.
City legal and code staff presented three proposed updates to Meridian city code tied to new state requirements and recent federal court rulings.
Tisha told council the first code change is the camping ban required by the Idaho State Legislature and would bring city code into compliance. The second is a "loitering‑plus" law that specifies conduct — for example, standing in a public place for purposes of drug distribution, prostitution, committing obstruction, or other actionable behavior — to avoid the vagueness that a U.S. district court found in Boise’s prior loitering language. The third proposal would repeal and replace Meridian’s noise ordinance to address a federal court preliminary injunction involving a protest with amplified sound; staff said the proposed language would be more content‑neutral than the Boise ordinance that the court found problematic.
Lieutenant Fraser was present to answer enforcement questions. Councilmembers generally expressed support for updating the code to reflect state law and court decisions and thanked staff for the work. Staff said the ordinances can be noticed quickly and returned for public hearings and possible adoption as soon as next week or in two weeks following proper notice.
