Ashwaubenon committee forwards draft loitering ordinance aimed at transit shelters to village board

The Village of Ashwaubenon Plan/Works & Protection Committee on April 9 reviewed a draft ordinance to revise the village code’s loitering provisions and recommended the village board draft the ordinance.

Joel, who presented the draft, told the committee the change was prompted by complaints from the transit director about an individual who had taken up habitation in the bus shelter near Oneida Street and Anderson Drive and raised sanitation and safety concerns. Joel said the current code does not define loitering clearly and that the draft borrows language from nearby municipal codes — including Green Bay and De Pere — to focus enforcement on conduct that obstructs pedestrians, vehicles or transit access rather than on a person’s mere presence.

Joel said the proposed process would require an officer to order a person to leave before issuing a municipal citation, and that the intent was to give individuals a chance to move on or accept available services before enforcement. The presenter told the committee that, in the transit incident under review, staff offered transportation to shelter but the person refused.

Chief Baxter (referred to in the meeting) told the committee the ordinance is intended to preserve public access and that officers would provide education before pursuing citations. After discussion about enforceability and available resources, a committee member moved to recommend forwarding the draft to the village board to have the ordinance drafted; the motion was seconded and carried.

The recommendation asks the village board to draft and consider the ordinance; no final enforcement policy or citation mechanism takes effect until the board acts.