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Council split on whether changing camping ordinance will work without daytime options
Summary
Councilors debated whether revising the camping ordinance or investing in daytime services and incentives will better address street camping and repeat offenses; some favored stronger penalties and municipal-court tools, others opposed criminalizing homelessness without alternatives.
Councilors spent significant time discussing the city's camping ordinance and whether fines or exclusion zones can curb persistent problematic behavior. One councilor said repeatedly that she could not support measures that would "criminalize homelessness" without providing daytime places to go; another councilor said the current fine-based approach lacks teeth and asked staff to explore graduated penalties or municipal-court remedies.
Several councilors urged a parallel focus on services and incentives: one suggested revisiting local housing incentives, including programs that encourage leasing vacant properties to locals, and others urged inviting service providers (CCA, Lifeboat, CBH, Helping Hands) to a future work session to clarify available daytime and treatment options. The mayor and city manager agreed to schedule follow-ups and to collect data so the council can evaluate enforcement alternatives alongside service capacity.
