Police enforcement and caring properly for people without homes were the main points made during a Sept. 12 Presque Isle City Council workshop and public hearing on a proposed camping ordinance.
The original draft was introduced during the June 5 council meeting to address how to deal with people who camp in public places, like parks, often leaving litter behind. The ordinance proposed that anyone setting up camp or temporary housing on public property needs the consent of Presque Isle officials.
The ordinance was drafted following several public complaints about people camping in local parks and other public spaces. Other community members protested the draft, saying it could discriminate against people who are homeless. City officials recrafted the ordinance, and Tuesday’s meeting was the first hearing on that new document.
The recrafting was also prompted by a Supreme Court Ruling of a similar ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon, City Manager Tyler Brown said.
“The first draft was thrown out in favor of a new one,” Brown said. “After we had heard the ruling from the Supreme Court, we drafted an ordinance [like] the one from Grants Pass.”
The Johnson vs. Grants Pass case started when Grants Pass, a city of 38,000, started issuing tickets to people sleeping on public property. A 2018 ruling said it was cruel and unusual to punish people for sleeping in public when they didn’t have anywhere else to go.
Like Presque Isle and many other communities, the Oregon city has a housing shortage, drug and mental health problems — and a growing number of homeless people. Some people were concerned about public safety and others about helping the homeless, according to a report from Oregon Public Radio.
The Supreme Court started looking at rules that made it hard for cities to keep people from sleeping outside. On June 28 the high court overturned the 2018 ruling, stating people who are homeless can be arrested or fined for sleeping outdoors. Some Maine communities applauded the action.
Following the court decision, Presque Isle officials took cues from the Grants Pass ordinance, recreating local guidelines with help from city attorney Richard Currier’s office. Rather than banning camping and mandating that people immediately vacate the area, even if they don’t have a place to go, the newer ordinance would require services to be offered and give those sleeping outside more time to find options, Brown said.
“It says that social services must be offered, and people have a certain time frame to vacate,” he said. “The first ordinance stipulated [they had] 24 hours. It was brought up during Tuesday’s meeting that that is not enough time.”
A few residents attended the meeting and none spoke, but Presque Isle Police Chief Chris Hayes and social services providers shared feedback, Brown said.
The city manager and legal representatives are using that feedback to fine-tune the draft. Details are not yet final.
The required second public hearing for the new camping ordinance will take place on Oct. 2, before the regular city council meeting, in City Hall’s council chambers. Community members will be able to share feedback during that public season, Brown said.
Councilors will then likely vote on adopting the ordinance.
