Renton is poised to become the latest city to ban camping on city property, with the Renton City Council set to vote on the issue Monday night.
The Renton City Council is going back to the drawing board to craft a camping ordinance after a heated city council meeting on Monday included disagreements about an existing proposal that would prohibit camping and storing personal items on city property, including on sidewalks and in parks.
Council voted Monday night to send the proposed ordinance back to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion.
The proposed ordinance, as originally written, lays out rules for issuing trespass orders against people who refuse to comply. Violations could bring up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, though no citation can be issued if a person complies with a city order to remove their property.
Renton would join a growing list of cities considering or adopting similar bans as they look for ways to address homeless encampments.
“We have to have some consequences for the vandalism and destruction of our creeks, our salmon culverts,” Andrea Suarez of We Heart Seattle said.
We Heart Seattle crews have spent years clearing trash from encampments across the region, including at Renton’s Riverview Park earlier this year.
“We found everything from copper wire stripping materials, needles, fentanyl foil, stolen bikes, mounds and mounds of trash,” Suarez said.
The proposed ordinance would ban camping, storing items and keeping shopping carts on city property, with some exceptions.
A number of Renton residents have spoken against the ban at recent City Council meetings, arguing it punishes people who have nowhere else to go.
“You cannot make someone safer by taking away the few places they have left to sleep, to rest and to keep their belongings,” said Renton resident Tammy Hess.
“If someone is sleeping outside because they have nowhere else to go, fining them, moving them or putting them in jail does not create housing,” Hess added. “It does not create stability. It takes an already desperate situation and makes it even more dangerous and vulnerable.”
Another resident called for the city to invest in services instead.
“If we’re so concerned about people on our streets, how about we invest in actual ways of providing behavioral health services, shelter, outreach and community management?” he said.
Auburn and Tukwila have already passed similar bans, with city officials describing them as a tool of last resort for people who refuse help and refuse to leave.
Tukwila’s camping ban took effect in July. The city’s police chief told KOMO News on Monday that officers have not had to arrest anyone or issue citations since it passed. Instead, they have been making contact with people and offering services. Those who refuse help are asked to leave the area.
“This is not arresting people because they’re homeless,” Suarez said. “It’s taking away the enablement for them to continuously refuse the many services that are available.”
Some Renton City Council members have pushed back on the ordinance, citing concerns about inequities it could create.
At the Monday meeting after two hours of public testimony, Councilmember James Alberson brought up wanting to amend the ordinance language so that people are not required to accept services, but that they are encouraged to accept a referral. He said that could help the city avoid legal consequences that could come with a blanket mandate.
Council President Pro-Tem Ryan McIrvin added the goal is to not incarcerate people, so he wants to add language to make that clearer.
Renton City Attorney argued the ordinance, as it stands, is unenforceable unless the council determines the consequences for those who decline offers for services.
The council ultimately agreed to send the issue back to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion.
