The Dalles City Council will hold a town hall Monday, Feb. 5, to take public comment on creation of exclusion zones to address problems caused by some of the homeless population.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Mid-Columbia Senior Center.
Julie Krueger, city manager, has recommended that homeless people accused of certain crimes be banned from designated downtown areas.
Her report to the council in November listed 24 crimes the homeless could commit to qualify for a 90-day ban from two zones. They would face arrest for trespassing if they returned within that time period.
The crimes ranged from disorderly conduct and harassment to public indecency, littering, graffiti, theft and tobacco possession by minors to harassment, assault and strangulation.
Krueger also suggested the city look at enforcement action against “aggressive panhandling and loitering in tourist and shopping areas.”
The council is also considering an amendment to the municipal nuisance ordinance that will prohibit camping on public property within the city limits.
Krueger’s proposal is supported by Police Chief Pat Ashmore, who published a column in The Dalles Chronicle last fall that said the new rules could give law enforcement more tools to address public safety concerns.
Councilor Tim McGlothlin said in November that staff recommendations followed a meeting between himself, Ashmore and Krueger in August to address numerous complaints from citizens and business owners, some frightened by harassment from the homeless.
He said the homeless population had spiked 315 percent in the last two years and that was concerning.
The two proposed civil exclusion zones are contiguous and take in the downtown blocks, from Taylor Street on the east, to East Third Street on the south, and continues westward along West Second, and West Sixth, ending at Webber on the west end. Its southerly border is West Eighth Street.
Ashmore told the council in November that the majority of the homeless population did not cause problems. He said five or six individuals had behavior that fell into a category to require enforcement action, and a lot of the homeless were also afraid of these people.
“The laws we have on the books, they just don’t work for us,” he said.
Krueger said the ordinances would provide an immediate remedy while staff worked with the Municipal Court judge to determine if a program could be developed that was similar to the mental health court model, which would provide resources for the homeless, such as employment and housing opportunities.
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