Tusayan previews urban camping ordinance, seeks enforcement plan with sheriff and Forest Service

Town Manager Hendrix presented a draft approach to Ordinance 2024-01, a proposed ban on urban camping within Tusayan, and asked the council for preliminary feedback at the Nov. 12 meeting.

Hendrix told council members that Coconino County Sheriff’s Office staff informed her the town currently lacks an urban camping ordinance and therefore local enforcement options are limited. She reported the proposed language mirrors the Williams ordinance and that staff and legal counsel would coordinate with the Forest Service and the County Sheriff to develop an enforceable version.

Council members raised practical and safety concerns. Council Member Andrew Aldaz said people have been camping in town and some stay longer than 14 days; Vice Mayor Greg Brush cited fire-safety close calls in undesignated areas, and Council Member Josh Collet noted incidents of people setting up long-term camping in fifth-wheel rigs. The council asked staff to continue consultation with law enforcement and the Forest Service and indicated the ordinance would likely return for formal action on a future consent or action agenda once enforcement mechanisms and legal language are finalized.

Town Manager Hendrix summarized staff’s next steps as working with the Town Attorney, the County Sheriff’s Office and the Forest Service on language and enforcement protocol. The minutes note that in Williams enforcement is applied “in a discretionary way to allow camping when and where it is appropriate,” a local practice the town is considering mirroring.

What’s next: staff will draft a formal ordinance that reflects the council’s feedback and the law-enforcement enforcement approach; the ordinance is expected to return to council for formal consideration and possible adoption.