BOZEMAN — Tuesday night's City Commission meeting was a pretty emotional one, as residents turned out and city leaders advanced a new, more restrictive urban camping ordinance in the city.
Heather Fox is one of dozens who gave emotional testimony to city commissioners as someone experiencing homelessness in Bozeman.
“Several people that are bad, yes, that are hoarders and make messes and it makes me mad, trust me," says Fox. “We’re not bad people, most of us do good.”
The hours-long meeting came after city leaders decided they needed a new ordinance to tackle urban camping.
“The current tools and authorities we have, we now have ordinance 2147, are ineffective in dealing with a certain group of urban campers,” says Bozeman Interim City Manager Chuck Winn.
The City of Bozeman is now one step closer to more restrictive measures, after a year's long discussion and frustration from residents.
City staff noted that since August’s study session, 7.5 percent of all calls for service were related to urban campers. Around 100 of those resulted in a misdemeanor or felony offense.
The city also released results from its survey saying that nearly 87 percent of residents believed that urban camping should not be allowed.
Eighty-three percent of residents and 60 percent of those unhoused agreed that the city should have stricter penalties.
After nearly five hours, city commissioners passed the new ordinance in a 3-2 vote, with Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison and Commissioner Emma Bode voting against.
The new ordinance would restrict urban camping in the public right of way. So, no camping would be allowed on city streets. Violating the ordinance would be a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 and the possibility of up to 10 days in jail.
The new ordinance establishes a permit system. The city would issue permits at $25 per month. The city manager has the authority to decide what streets can have camping, who can have a permit, and which permits can be revoked.
The permit system expires in one year.
The ordinance now goes through a second reading. If that passes, the ordinance will take effect in mid-November.
