Fairmont favors services and enforcement over camping bans; police restructured to improve staffing

Mayor Dr. Ann Balliard and City Manager Travis Blosser said Fairmont is pursuing a collaborative approach to homelessness alongside enforcement tools and public‑safety staffing changes.

"Camping bans are something I'm asked about often and frankly, I think it's a concept with questionable success," Balliard said, adding that the city is working with nonprofits and service providers and that many people experiencing homelessness are being placed without local coordination. She said the city overhauled trespass enforcement authorizations to allow property owners to request trespass actions and encouraged businesses to enroll in the program.

Blosser said the city increased police foot patrols downtown, restructured the department to create more lieutenant positions and established the city's first deputy chief of police role to create internal advancement and make the force a more appealing workplace. He said hiring has improved and the department is now nearly fully staffed.

Officials said these steps are part of a broader strategy combining dignity‑centered service approaches with clearer enforcement options, and that partnerships with state and federal agencies and local nonprofits are necessary to address the issue.

Next steps: continue monthly discussions with nonprofits and service providers, promote the trespass authorization program to property owners, and maintain increased downtown patrols while monitoring outcomes.