A controversial new ordinance that bans camping in city parks and allows for criminal trespass warnings on cityowned property has been approved.
But city leaders say they are open to exploring new ways to help people experiencing homelessness.
At the Jan. 26 meeting, the Taylor City Council voted 4-to-1 to approve Ordinance 2023-02, which proponents said will protect staff and residents in parks and other public areas from aggressive behavior, vandalism and other disruptions that can deter people from using city-owned amenities.
“I want to protect the library staff, and the billing staff and all these people, keep them safe and give our police some power, but where are you sending (the homeless) to?” said At-large Councilman Dwayne Ariola. “We are not going to identify it in one fell swoop, but we can come up with a master plan for how to take baby steps . . . so, let’s identify those organizations that help these people.”
However, District 2 Councilman Mitch Drummond, who voted no, said this wasn’t enough.
“We have an animal shelter that we spend $280,000 a year on, maintaining the animal shelter for homeless dogs and cats, and yet we make our brothers and sisters live out on the streets,” he said. “And we want to make that illegal.”
At the meeting, Police Chief Henry Fluck said a criminal trespass warrant, which the police previously only could use for private property, would give added protections for staff and users of city facilities.
“I want to emphasize that it is behavioral based,” Fluck said. “It is not status based, nor is it homeless status based. It’s based on the behavior of the individual.”
In addition, the ordinance allows for an appeals process when an individual is issued a CTW, a misdemeanor, Fluck said.
Camping in public parks is already prohibited for homeless individuals under state law, as well as under a city ordinance that set nighttime closing hours for parks, despite its limited effectiveness, Fluck said.
“The real issue boils down to use and enjoyment of city parks,” Fluck said. “I think we have to consider the families and children who use city parks who may be intimidated or harassed by the chronically homeless. The majority of homeless in Taylor cause no problems at all . . . But there are chronic homeless who live the life they choose. They do not want services and they are heavy users of police services.”
Nonetheless, two residents expressed their opposition to the ordinance.
Tammy Cheatum urged council not to move forward with the ban, saying many homeless people are dealing with domestic violence.
“The face of homelessness has changed,” she said. “Please take time to research this. Reach out to the community so that we can work together on a solution. Please do not pass the buck.”
Lisa Drummond, the spouse of the councilman from District 2, also voiced her opposition to the ordinance without giving homeless people a place to go, but said she appreciated that this was opening the door to looking at the bigger problem.
“I think this is a good thing to open up a conversation,” she said. “I mean we only have a handful of homeless people in Taylor right now, but we need to be mindful of the fact that they may need extensive help, and it will take a lot of time, and we may need to put money into it.”
LaBorde said during this beginning of a new budget cycle, this is possible.
“I know it’s not a compromise for both ends of this argument, but what we can do is put a committee together to start looking at this,” said City Manager Brian LaBorde. “It’s a cliché, but it takes a village. The city cannot do it alone … but at the same time, the bottom line is we are trying to address behavioral issues to protect not only our citizens, but also our staff.”
