MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Common Council voted 7-2 July 28 to direct staff to draft an ordinance defining “camping” and where people may or may not camp in city limits.
District 7 Alderperson Brian Giles and District 10 Alderperson Andrew Reigel voted “no,” and District 8 Alderperson Rebecca Spiros was absent.
District 5 Alderperson Scott Koran and District 4 Alderperson Brian Varsho brought the issue directly to the council after hearing complaints regarding people sleeping in cars or campers on streets, in front of people’s homes and in city parking lots, Varsho said in the July 28 meeting.
“I think this is the first step in solving an issue a lot of residents are having,” Koran said in the meeting. “We’ve had people staying at the zoo, staying in front of the police station, staying in front of people’s houses.”
Copies of a City of Wausau ordinance defining the term “camping” and a City of Fond du Lac ordinance that prohibits the action on city property were included in the agenda packet as examples for the council’s consideration. Wausau only allows camping at rentable sites within Marathon Park, according to the city’s ordinance.
The council directed staff to draft an ordinance using Fond du Lac’s ordinance as the primary example.
Council members express concern of compounding problem
Several Common Council members expressed concern that punishments in the form of fines for someone who appears to live out of their vehicle would not solve the problem that led them to that circumstance, according to discussion during the meeting.
Neither the Wausau or Fond du Lac ordinances directly define any fines for violations of the ordinances, but Wausau will revoke a camping permit if any state laws or parks department rules are violated, according to the ordinance.
“If someone is camping in their car or vehicle or whatever it may be, they’re probably down on their luck and us slapping a fine on them is probably not going to [help the situation]” Reigel said during the meeting.
District 9 Alderperson Richard Kranz agreed it would not be “prudent” to give a citation to a person experiencing homelessness but recognized the need to give city police officers “a little bit more power” to handle situations that become a blight on the city.
“My concern here is that we are compounding a problem,” District 2 Alderperson Derek Wehrman said during the meeting. “We don’t have the infrastructure to take people in and house them. We had a homeless shelter and it did not go well, unfortunately, and now we have no resources for those people.”
Wehrman said he would support a motion to direct staff to draft an ordinance for Marshfield for further discussion but was concerned the city does not have other resources typically used to address issues related to homelessness including a jail for temporary stays or police garage space to hold individuals’ personal belongings if they are detained by city police officers.
“I think anybody on [the] council would probably feel the same way if some random person they didn’t know was camped out on their street in a vehicle sleeping in it,” Wehrman said referencing a recent complaint he and other alderpersons had received from a homeowner. The homeowner said they had witnessed a person living in their vehicle on the street in front of their home for several weeks.
However, Wehrman expressed doubt that he would support an ordinance that might make the problem worse for people experiencing homelessness.
“I don’t think we’re looking for a solution here. I think we’re just compounding a problem, and I can’t support that,” Wehrman said.
What happens next?
City staff will draft the ordinance in upcoming weeks and the item will likely appear on a Common Council agenda in August.
The Common Council meets twice per month on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. at Marshfield City Hall, 207 W. Sixth St.
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 Marshfield News-Herald: Marshfield Council weighs ordinance to address ‘camping’ in vehicles
Reporting by Erik Pfantz, Marshfield News-Herald / Marshfield News-Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Erik Pfantz, Marshfield News-Herald | USA TODAY Network
