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PARKERSBURG -- Parkersburg City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on the final reading of an ordinance prohibiting camping on public property.
The first reading passed Sept. 13 on a 6-1 vote with two members absent and Councilwoman Wendy Tuck opposed.
"So where are they supposed to be?" said Tuck, referring to situations where people might not be able to go to the shelter at the Latrobe Street Mission or Salvation Army. "I do not want tent camping at the parks. … But there has to be some place."
The ordinance would prohibit sleeping, storing personal property or cooking for habitation purposes on property including streets, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, public rights of way and under bridges. People wanting to camp for special events could seek a permit from the public works director. Violators would be subject to a fine of $100 to $500.
"You're going to fine people for being homeless?" Tuck said. "Really? If they had money, they would buy a hotel (room)."
Council President Sharon Kuhl is among those supporting the ordinance. She said she saw someone spending the night Thursday on the stage at Southwood Park with a shopping cart and other belongings.
"It trashes up our parks. It makes our citizens, especially our kids, not feel safe," Kuhl said.
Police Chief Matthew Board said he supports the ordinance from a public safety perspective.
"This is a step in the right direction to correct that type of activity," he said.
Board noted the department employs two civilian homeless coordinators to help get people back to the areas they're from or connect them with services that can assist them and prevent them from potentially harming themselves or others.
The agenda also includes the first reading of an ordinance vacating part of an unnamed alley north of 25th Street and east of Fairview Avenue and a resolution authorizing Mayor Tom Joyce to accept a $2,970 state fairs and festivals grant to support the 2024 Taste of Parkersburg event. Council will also consider Joyce's reappointment of Turner Sharp and Craig Menton and appointment of John Sheets to the city's Tree Commission, as well as the reappointments of Sean Andrews and Sherry Dugan to the Municipal Planning Commission.
Council will meet as the Urban Renewal Authority following the regular meeting with has three items on that agenda - an application to donate a dilapidated property and two offers to buy vacant lots from the authority.
The owner of 1123 Latrobe St. is seeking to donate that property after a March fire. Documents included with the agenda note just under $700 in unpaid city fees on the property, along with three judgments obtained by the city totaling nearly $4,000.
A neighboring landowner is offering $3,500 for 806 Quincy St., with designs on adding it to the property where he has apartments. In the long term, he said in his application, he wants to build a residential structure on the site.
A resident who lives across the street from 1715 Staunton Ave. wants to buy it for $500 and is seeking abandonment of a portion of Agnes Street to consolidate the parcels. The applicant plans to spend $11,000 on fencing, maintenance and site preparation.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
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Meeting Notes
* Tuesday's Parkersburg City Council meetings
* 7:30 p.m.: regular council meeting, council chambers, second floor of the Municipal Building
* Immediately following: Urban Renewal Authority, council chambers