STEVENS POINT – Proposed changes to the city’s parking ordinance, including a ban on permits for camper-like vehicles and a new ordinance banning living in vehicles, are in question after a Common Council committee unanimously rejected them.
The Public Policy and General Government Committee on July 13 voted unanimously to reject amendments to two existing parking ordinances and voted unanimously to send the vehicle habitation ban ordinance back to city staff and the police department for review.
“I look forward to passing a reasonable ordinance that gives our police officers the tools that they need to prevent harm. This is not that tonight. I will be a ‘no,’” District 2 Alderperson Jacqui Guthrie said during discussion of the parking ordinance amendments.
The proposed amendments, if approved, could change Chapter 9 subsection 9.05(aa) of the city’s municipal code to deny camper-like vehicles from receiving parking permits from the city and change 9.09(4), or the city’s abandoned vehicles ordinance, to require vehicles to be registered and operable when permitted to park in a city parking lot and setting a 72-hour time limit for an unregistered or inoperable vehicle to be considered to be abandoned while parked in a city-owned parking lot.
Additionally, the proposed ordinance could create Chapter 24 subsection 24.57 of the city’s municipal code, which would establish a prohibition of individuals living in vehicles on city-owned property, including streets.
Stevens Point Police Chief Edward Orgon brought the amendments and the ordinance to the committee stating that they would serve as a “tool” to address over two dozen recent phone call complaints regarding people appearing to be living in vehicles throughout the city, including a specific instance of a camper parked near the intersection of Water Street and Arlington Place.
City police officers often find litter and evidence of unsanitary living conditions at the location of these complaints, Orgon said.
The full Common Council will consider both items again on July 20.
Amendments to existing ordinances rejected
Discussion of the two amendments stretched for over 30 minutes as the five members of the standing committee, Mayor Mike Wiza, Orgon, other alderpersons in attendance, and members of the public weighed in on benefits and drawbacks of the proposed ordinance changes.
The changes would specifically limit issuance of parking permits by city staff to vehicles such as recreational vehicles, campers, camper vans and camper trailers, and change how permitted vehicles are governed by the city’s abandoned vehicles ordinance, according to the amendment language.
Three city residents spoke against approval of the proposed ordinance changes stating that they do not directly address complaints regarding litter and unsanitary living conditions.
Comments from alderpersons expressed concern that city businesses and organizations often market the city as friendly to recreational and camper-like vehicles and drew attention to a missing word in the ordinance draft language.
A motion to approve the ordinance as written was rejected 0-5 by the committee but the full Common Council will consider the amendment on July 20.
Proposed ordinance sent back to staff, police department
The meeting proceeded with an additional 30-plus-minute discussion on the proposed new ordinance, which, if approved would ban human habitation in vehicles on city streets and city-owned property regardless of whether a parking permit is acquired.
Human habitation is defined by the proposed ordinance as visible evidence of use of a vehicle for sleeping, housekeeping, cooking or other activities for six or more hours, according to the ordinance language.
A person’s first offense for breaking the proposed ordinance would have resulted in a $50 fine and second and subsequent offenses would have resulted in $100 fines, according to the ordinance language.
Six members of the public spoke against creation of the ordinance stating concerns regarding criminalization of homelessness and the ordinance’s lack of directly addressing the callers’ complaints of littering and unsanitary living conditions.
Comments from alderpersons offered mixed opinions on the need for the ordinance with some recognizing the need to have an enforcement mechanism for officers to deal with uncooperative people while others repeated concerns about unfair and inordinate enforcement.
A motion to send the proposed ordinance back to city staff was approved with a 5-0 vote by the committee.
When will the full Common Council consider the proposals?
The Common Council will consider the amendments and ordinance at 6 p.m. July 20 in the Community Room at 933 Michigan Ave. in Stevens Point.
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Committee rejects proposed ban on vehicle habitation in Stevens Point
Reporting by Erik Pfantz, Stevens Point Journal / Stevens Point Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Erik Pfantz, Stevens Point Journal | USA TODAY Network
