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Aberdeen council orders repeat River Street cleanup and asks staff to draft repeal of downtown sit/lie ordinance
Summary
After a July cleanup of River Street camps "didn't go as well as we hoped," Aberdeen leaders set a second cleanup and directed staff and legal counsel to return proposed revisions that would strike a downtown "sit or lie" provision and allow policing to refer to the camping ordinance; Aug. 7 was named as the final cleanup date.
Aberdeen’s City Council agreed July 10 to repeat a River Street homeless-camp cleanup next week and asked staff and the city attorney to draft a repeal or revision of a downtown municipal code section that allows people to sit or lie on sidewalks between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Mayor told the council the initial cleanup "didn't go as well as we hoped it would have gone," and said city directors have developed a better plan for next week’s operation. The city administrator later outlined operational rules: the cleanup will start at 9:00 a.m., items outside tents will be removed unless stored inside a tent (bikes and totes may be exempt), shopping carts and propane will be taken for safe disposal, abandoned tents will be removed, and code enforcement and police will coordinate; Aug. 7 was set as the date for the final cleanup.
Council members debated a separate but related code change the mayor proposed: repealing the downtown "sit or lie" provision in AMC 12.4.1.010 so that officers can refer to the camping ordinance’s definitions when enforcing public camping rules. Police and other staff cautioned about exceptions and enforcement limits. Chief Green said evidence-based definitions of "camping" (sleeping bags, tarps or similar items) can be necessary to bring a camping violation, and noted medical emergencies and authorized sidewalk uses (for example, permitted sales) would need clear exceptions.
Some council members asked staff to return options that include different penalty structures; the chief and others pointed to examples in other cities where violations range from civil infractions to misdemeanors or community-service penalties. Council members emphasized the importance of exceptions for medical emergencies and the risk of unintended consequences if the ordinance is too broad.
The council also confirmed operational responsibilities for next week’s cleanup: code enforcement will determine what items residents can keep, police will keep the peace and implement trespass notices when property owners have filed them, and public works will assist with removal and post-cleanup patrols. The city will post notices on its website and social channels to help residents report camps on public property.
The council’s direction to staff was procedural rather than an immediate ordinance repeal; members asked legal counsel and police to return recommended language and a penalty analysis at a future meeting.
