Lebanon council discusses homelessness, sober-living houses after death and arrest at boarding house
Loading...
Summary
Councilors raised concerns about encampments, nuisance calls and a boarding-house/sober-living residence where a recent death prompted a police search and discovery of narcotics; staff outlined limits on zoning enforcement and encouraged calls-for-service to build evidence.
Councilors and staff discussed homelessness and group-home/sober-living operations in Lebanon after a recent death and subsequent police action at a residence identified as a boarding house.
Councilor (identified in the transcript as Camille) and others described encampments, loitering and incidents affecting downtown businesses, and urged formation of a task force to coordinate city responses. Staff said they will form a task force and that departments including police, fire, planning and codes are involved.
A specific property at 216 Pennsylvania Avenue was discussed at length. Staff said the property had been an established boarding-house use before a zoning change and therefore remained grandfathered; the current operators have characterized the site as a group home or recovery residence. Police representatives said they executed a search during an investigation of a death, discovered narcotics and made an arrest that is public record. The police encouraged residents to call and, if desired, call anonymously so the city can build a calls-for-service record in case of future nuisance litigation.
City legal staff reiterated limits on local authority: sovereign-immunity rules can limit the city’s ability to compel other government entities, and federal/state housing protections place constraints on reclassifying residential areas to exclude recovery or group homes. Staff also said the fire marshal and building codes review occupancy and sprinkler requirements and that letters were sent to some property owners earlier concerning unauthorized uses.
The council agreed to pursue a task force, asked staff for follow-up reports from legal and planning about the classification and oversight of recovery homes, and requested that the fire chief and police chief brief the council when available.
Ending: staff will provide a report back to council on the 216 Pennsylvania Avenue matter and on possible task-force membership and procedures.
