By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
YACHATS – With a nod to the money it receives from Lincoln County to care for the homeless, the Yachats city council Wednesday unanimously approved chipping in $4,473 to support regional emergency winter shelters.
County officials asked Yachats and other cities for a contribution of $4.50 per person based on its population in the 2020 Census to support county- and volunteer-operated warming shelters it plans to open in Newport and Lincoln City.
Waldport and Toledo declined to contribute and Siletz anted up $500 of a $5,535 request. The Newport city council approved a $46,152 contribution Monday, Depoe Bay has OK’d a $6,817 contribution and the Lincoln City council is scheduled to vote on a $44,167 request Monday.
“My position on this is that it’s an insurance policy for the city as well as accessibility to services that are beyond the city,” said mayor Craig Berdie. “We can shelter people, but we do not have job placement services or job training services. We don’t have licensed mental health services in our sheltering facilities.”
If somebody would benefit from and is willing to partake in those services, the price of a bus ticket to Newport is no skin off the city’s nose, the mayor said. And with only 10 beds available in Yachats there is always the possibility that people could be turned away and re-directed to the Newport shelter.
“I agree with the mayor,” said councilor Greg Scott. “In light of the fact that the county is giving us $60,000 for actual services in this particular area to provide a shower, bathroom (and) sink facilities at the Presbyterian Church for the 10 people that we can support, I think this keeps us in good graces with the county.”
Meanwhile, the council has yet to draft an ordinance about where homeless campers can pitch tents or park vehicles within city limits, or whether the ordinance needs only say where they cannot camp.
“Basically we are going to take Waldport’s (homeless camping ordinance) and change as little as possible in it, (and) identify an area over by the water plant where they can camp,” said interim city manager Rick Sant.
Berdie questioned whether the ordinance needs to indicate where people can camp or just indicate where they cannot. Councilor Mary Ellen O’Shaughnessey reminded council that houseless citizens do have a right to have someplace to camp. Oregon law requires the city have a place for people to sleep and rest on public property – with restrictions – when no shelter beds are accessible. Sant added that informing people only where they cannot camp would create a game of “whack-a-mole” as they were shuffled from place to place.
Standing ovation
Trails advocate Joanne Kittel received a standing ovation from the council and those in attendance after the mayor read a proclamation honoring her for demonstrating “exceptional dedication, leadership, and commitment to the betterment of our community.”
Berdie added that Kittel is a “pillar of the community” and councilor Scott described her efforts in the area as “earth shaking.”
Kittel, who sat in the front row of chambers, thanked everyone present.
“I’m deeply, deeply moved,” Kittel said. “I’m honored. But everything you’ve said about me has also involved so many of you here and those who’ve come before me. And I’m the one that’s full of gratitude because telling the truth and being transparent always brings other people to the table … and it’s those people that mean everything to me. And working together any problem can be solved.”
In other business the council:
- Heard that the city is considering using the herbicide glyphosate to kill Himalayan and Japanese knotweed, an invasive species that is running amuck in some areas of Yachats, including along the Yachats River.
- Heard an impromptu presentation and held a discussion about how volunteer groups can continue to operate and receive direction from the city without running afoul of Oregon’s open meeting laws, which require notice and a public record be kept. Council indicated that it would need to be handled administratively with groups reporting to the city manager and not the council. Council asked the team who gave the presentation to write a draft of an administrative procedure.
- Was told the city has enough water to avoid phase 2 water restrictions and is just waiting for Southwest Lincoln County Water PUD to sign an agreement to supply water that would ensure declaring a phase 2 water-shortage emergency will not be necessary.
- Learned from the city manager’s report that three new public works employees were hired, which is “a huge win.” However, just before starting one of the three decided not to take the job. The city is far behind in repairing leaks, according the manager’s report. “This is a welcome relief for the guys in public works, who have been working overtime to keep up,” Sant reported.
- Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com
Permitting “camping” areas is a extremely bad idea. We don’t need the filth and rise in violence that has contaminated other Oregon cities. Do we have enough protection from crime? Who is going to be responsible keeping drug parphenalia, human excrement, etc cleaned up, how often, and at what cost? We don’t need this in Yachats. We all want to exhibit compassion and kindness. But without exception these measures become unsafe, shortsighted, unappreciated and assumed. Then the rights of homeless override the rights of the Yachats majority and voters who live here. Unfortunately, trying to accommodate the homeless only encourages homelessness.
It is my understanding that state law requires cities to adopt a policy, and if there are not enough shelter beds available, and there is not a “designated” camping area, then unhoused persons can camp on any public land. Which would you prefer?
I’m with you
The proliferation of public camping by homeless in many West Coast cities is the result of a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that camping cannot be banned unless they have a shelter to go to. Cities don’t really have much control over this and the state didn’t either when it adopted the law to comply with the court ruling.
We should not allow any designated camping areas here in Yachats. Doing that will attract drug addicts and crime associated with that element. Look at so called “barrier free” camping situations in Eugene, the people who live within a radius of these “free for all” camps have to contend with break-ins, excrement, and needles. Martian vs Boise does not require our town to provide shelter when there are services in other parts of the county that provide those services. I expect that 9th Circuit ruling to get overturned by the Supreme Court because of all the cities filing against that ruling because of the damage it has caused.