Public Camping Ordinance Amendments
At a glance
- What: Kyle Alexander Davis proposed four amendments to Salem's public camping ordinance: (1) remove the trigger that lets police enforce the ordinance when a shelter bed exists within 15 miles of Salem, making it Salem-only; (2) replace the broad exception that allows removal of a campsite even when no shelter is available with a list of imminent hazards (active fire, explosion hazard, blocked emergency access, hazardous materials, risk of serious injury); (3) lengthen the notice to remove camping materials once shelter becomes available from 12 hours to 48; and (4) remove the arrest authority and limit the penalty to a written warning.
- For the amendments: a National Coalition for the Homeless speaker argued criminalization raises costs and homelessness and urged housing first; Katelyn Holappa, Lydia C. King and Davis cited federal guidance on 30-day notice and studies on encampment sweeps, and said police rarely use the 15-mile or 12-hour provisions. Many public speakers, including a person with lived experience, supported the changes.
- Against: Fire Chief Dion described the 2024 Cane Hill and Salem Woods wildfires traced to encampments, plus fire, needle and sanitation hazards in encampments, and asked to keep the ordinance and discretion. The police Community Impact Unit captain said police use only Lifebridge in practice, there have been three arrests of two people in about 2.5 years, and the arrest option and 12-hour notice are useful leverage; he warned that larger encampments may form soon. Alice Rose Merkl, Timothy G. Flynn, Andrew Smith, Jason Sydoriak and Conrad J. Prosniewski said they preferred to keep police discretion. Several residents and business owners near Charlotte Forten Park described needles, waste and safety concerns.
- Where it stands: after about three hours, the committee voted without opposition to keep the matter in committee, with the hope of another meeting to vote on the amendments. Chair Ty Hapworth noted the full council may not have the votes for some of them. Prosniewski said he would file a resolution asking the state for more psychiatric and supportive housing resources.
Based on auto-generated captions of the video; names and numbers may be misheard.
Sources
Log
- 2026-10-14 - Public Health Safety and Environment Committee - Committee of the whole discussion of the four amendments with presentations by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the fire chief; kept in committee.
- 2026-10-22 - City Council - Committee report accepted; matter remains in committee after a presentation by a National Coalition for the Homeless representative and city staff; members want more expert input.
- 2026-09-24 - City Council - Committee report accepted; the camping ordinance policy review remains in committee after discussion of homelessness data and police presentations.