CC Minutes - 06/13/11 Work Session

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waiting list. Mr. Wisth reported a committee that included representatives of St. Vincent de Paul and the departments of Planning and Development, Public Works, Police, and Central Services was charged with program oversight and met frequently to discuss strategies to address "hot spot" complaint areas and coordinate signage and enforcement requests. Mr. Wisth briefly reviewed the elements of Section 4.815, which prohibited camping in the city outside the parameters of the Homeless Camping Program. Sergeant Stubbs discussed the City's enforcement approach to violations of the camping ordinance. He reviewed the dispatch protocol for complaints about violations, reporting that initially, St. Vincent de Paul staff responded to such complaints and provided campers in violation with the opportunity to move. Those who failed to move were placed on a local violators list and referred to a team of officers who cited violators and arranged for vehicle tows. Sergeant Stubbs shared statistics demonstrating calls for service about illegal camping that illustrated the increase in complaints over the last few years. Sergeant Stubbs shared a map showing where enforcement of the homeless camping ordinance had occurred within the community. He also shared data regarding the number of citations issued by the Eugene Police Department for illegal on- street camping. Mr. Wisth concluded the presentation by highlighting some next steps, which included modifications to enforcement procedures, enhanced coordination, and police dispatch training on the code governing car camping. He provided contact information for himself and EPD staff, and solicited council questions. Mayor Piercy determined from Mr. Wise that car campers in managed parking spaces were limited to three months in the space although there were exceptions, such as had been recently made for an individual with a chronic and probably fatal illness. Mr. Wise reported that when he assumed responsibility for the program in 2001 he had found there were people who had occupied the same spot for two or three years and considered it their permanent home. He learned that without a deadline to move, such individuals often failed to make efforts to improve their situation. Continuing, Mr. Wise emphasized the importance of the "cite and tow" aspect of the program. If people were not towed when they behaved poorly other campers emulated their behavior. He acknowledged the process was time - consuming for officers, and estimated that St. Vincent de Paul staff called the police two or three times weekly for enforcement. Mr. Poling expressed concern about long -term camping that occurred on private property. He cited as an example a noisy camp site located along a fence line in a residential area. Noise and activity from the camp site disturbed the adjacent neighbors. He asked what recourse residents experiencing such problems had. Mr. Wisth believed the City's nuisance code addressed such situations but the homeless camping ordinance did not speak to them. Sergeant Stubbs said residents could complain about prohibited noise and report suspected crimes. Mr. Farr observed that homeless people wanted to camp legally in a safe spot without fear of harassment. He suggested the council's discussion was the start of a longer conversation about how to make more legal and safe camping opportunities available to such individuals so they could avoid citations for illegal camping. Referring to the map showing the locations where the camping ordinance had been enforced, Ms. Ortiz pointed out that much of the enforcement occurred in the industrial area of west Eugene, which was in her ward. She expressed sympathy for homeless campers but she also sympathized with business owners and MINUTES— Eugene City Council June 13, 2011 Page 2 Work Session