Montana Free Press
"With proposed ordinance, Bozeman looks to curb advance of urban camping"
"For Bozeman police officer Scott Vongehr, a trip to the city’s urban encampments is like a scavenger hunt for items you’d normally see at a garage sale or in your neighbor’s messy backyard...
'There are times I wish I had a half-ton truck and a dump trailer,' Vongehr told Montana Free Press during his rounds on a recent afternoon.
Vongehr said it’s a misconception that the city’s growing population of residents sleeping in RVs, cars and campers is dramatically driving up crime in the area. He said most of those people hold down jobs and just want a cheap place to call home while they save up to get off the streets...
For Bozeman City Manager Jeff Mihelich, the solution isn’t more shelter beds so he can start forcing urban campers out of their improvised homes; it’s about creating a set of rules to keep their growing numbers in check.
That’s where Bozeman’s new urban camping ordinance comes into play, Mihelich said. The proposed rules would create a legal framework for camping on streets in Bozeman, including a five-day limit a person can stay on any one street, restricting camping near residences, businesses, schools, parks and daycares, and creating sanitary and personal property requirements. Violations would be met with vehicle towing or camp removal and a $100 civil fine.
Mihelich said he expects the Bozeman City Commission to pass the ordinance at its next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19...
For Officer Vongehr, the whole situation is a bit like kicking a can down the road.
He said the people who wind up in Bozeman’s urban camps are those who previously relied on low-income housing or mobile home parks before those options began to disappear in Bozeman as housing prices soared.
What’s more, Vongehr said the need for construction and service workers continues to bring job seekers to the area who might not be aware of Bozeman’s escalating rental costs.
'People are still coming here, and they need a place to live,' Vongehr said."
