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PARKERSBURG -- The Parkersburg City Council recently voted to approve the final reading of an ordinance prohibiting camping on public property.
The proposed ordinance drew comments from people in Parkersburg and the surrounding region, some saying it was unfair to the local homeless population.
It also drew the attention of the City of Wheeling. City officials there could soon discuss a similar proposal.
Parkersburg City Council voted 7-1 to approve the final reading, with Councilwoman Wendy Tuck opposed and Councilman J.R. Carpenter having left the meeting early.
The ordinance prohibits sleeping, storing personal property or cooking for habitation purposes on property including streets, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, public rights of way and under bridges. Violators could face a fine of $100 to $500.
Some speakers at a recent public forum argued the Parkersburg ordinance was an unfair and ineffective strike against the homeless, while others said it's a reasonable rule to expect people to follow.
Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said Friday that the city would likely discuss whether an similar ordinance would work in the Friendly City.
"We are aware of the recently passed city of Parkersburg ordinance," Herron said. "We are reviewing our current ordinances, with possible consideration of a consolidation into an ordinance similar to Parkersburg's.
"I anticipate that there will be a discussion at city council in the relatively near future on the Parkersburg ordinance, along with the city's current regulations and looking at other applicable ordinances from cities around the state."
Herron said Wheeling officials also will need to reconcile any potential measures with the ruling that U.S. Judge John Bailey made in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. That ruling required the city to give a minimum two weeks notice before dismantling any homeless encampments. The ruling also mandated that the city work with local homeless groups to minimize disruption if a camp was to be dismantled.
Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott said it is "clear" that more needs to be done to combat homelessness locally, and is keeping an open mind as to how it can be done.
"As to whether that means stiffer penalties for those camping on public property, I remain open to the conversation," he said in a text message. "There are some encampments that have become public nuisances because of criminal activity and poor sanitary conditions, and we cannot turn a blind eye towards them. At the same time, we need to be thoughtful about the larger issue and remember that when it comes to homelessness, every action can have an unintended consequence.
"We cannot arrest or fine our way out of this problem altogether," he added. "The only successful models for addressing this issue have occurred in cities that utilize holistic approaches that treat every homeless person not as a statistic but rather as an individual that may possess the ability to live a productive life with the right pathways available."
Parkersburg resident Zoe Ham told the Parkersburg council earlier this week the measure would target homeless individuals, many of whom have some form of mental illness. It could be considered unconstitutional or an infringement on human rights, she said.
"These people are human beings we're talking about," Ham said. "We can't say we're going to charge you $500 every time you fall asleep in Parkersburg."
Little Hocking resident Mark Belyus said he owns rental property in the city but is getting out of it due to problems with tenants damaging property. He said he's rented units to formerly homeless individuals and it hasn't worked out well.
Failing to pass the ordinance would invite drug use, prostitution and other negative activity into the city's parks, he said.
"You might as well build a wall around City Park and call it City Prison," he said.
The municipal judge would have discretion in levying fines and would likely go toward the lower end or recommend alternative sentences unless the individual was a repeat offender, Parkersburg City Attorney Blaine Myers said.
Staff writer Eric Ayres contributed to this report.