JACKSON — Jackson City Council declined to vote Tuesday on a proposed emergency ordinance targeting a homeless encampment in front of Carnegie Library downtown, opting instead to treat the measure as a regular ordinance and schedule a second reading for Aug. 18.
- Jackson City Council delayed a vote on a homeless encampment ordinance, pushing it to Aug. 18.
- The proposed ordinance would restrict tent setups and require belongings to be stored in designated containers.
- Forty-seven people spoke during nearly six hours of public comment before the council opted to wait.
The proposed emergency ordinance included providing 32-gallon storage bins for belongings to be stored in designated shipping containers, with remaining items to be discarded, and prohibiting tent setups on public property without an approved permit.
Council takes in public comment
Forty-seven people spoke during public comment at the meeting, which lasted five and a half hours. City Attorney Matt Hagerty said the council chose to pause after hearing from the public.
"Council took a breath; took in the comments from the public and kind of digested it," Hagerty said. "They charged myself and my office with some proposed changes or edits to come back in a second reading on the meeting for August 18th."
Downtown business owner raises concerns
Greg Walker and his wife have owned Bella Notte restaurant in downtown Jackson for 25 years. Walker attended Tuesday's meeting to voice concern about how the encampment could affect downtown business.
"It's not helping bring people downtown to come and eat, and it's a difficult situation," Walker said. "There are people that are afraid to come down here, especially women. There are very aggressive homeless people down here."
Resident reflects on the meeting
Jackson resident Paris Mast said the meeting shifted her perspective on the issue.
"It's not a simple fix just relocating, right?" Mast said. She added that the meeting represented progress for both the homeless population and the broader community.
"I think this is a huge 'we see you, we hear you. Let's figure out what we can do to help this situation as a whole,'" Mast said.
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