Public pushes back as Altoona City Council introduces urban camping, public-gathering and recovery-home ordinances

Altoona City residents packed a council chamber on March 9, urging the City Council to reconsider a package of measures that would add downtown event fees, regulate urban camping on public property and tighten licensing for recovery and boarding homes.

Many speakers framed their opposition around free-speech and civil-rights concerns. Devin Sailor, of 1515 25th Avenue, told the council the proposal to charge $50 per hour for each officer assigned to an event would chill First Amendment assemblies: “You can't burden people's rights because you don't feel like meeting that obligation,” he said, citing court decisions he said forbid charging fees tied to anticipated police costs. Carol Taylor, a retired attorney speaking for Indivisible, called the permit language vague and said it left too much discretion to assign higher police costs to certain events.

Speakers also pressed the council on homelessness policy. Sher L., who said she is currently unhoused, described losing housing to domestic violence and said she worried criminalizing sleeping in public would lead to arrests rather than help. Bridget Jackson (313…