A public hearing was held by the Board of County Commissioners for the proposed ordinance amendment on Tuesday, March 26.
The Washoe County Public Camping ordinance ban was passed with a 3-2 vote.
In addition to prohibiting public camping, the ordinance increases the Truckee River Corridor, prohibiting camping within 1,000 feet of the shore of the Truckee River. This preserves the health of the river and public safety.
You can watch the meeting below:
Learn more about Washoe County: www.washoecounty.gov
Watch WCTV on Charter Channel 193
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March 8:
The proposed ordinance to ban camping on county-owned property is scheduled to be heard at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 26.
The public hearing was going to take place on March 12, but the meeting on that day was cancelled.
The agenda for the meeting has not been finalized yet.
Original Article:
An ordinance amendment brought forth by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office would ban camping on county-owned property or public places within 1000 feet of the Truckee River.
The amendment was introduced at the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
It would also ban fires, blow torches or propane tanks, parking oversized vehicles on public property, and obstruction of public sidewalks, roads and highways.
Violating the bans would be a misdemeanor offense.
Today's hearing was only a "first reading," which means the amendment has not been adopted yet.
The Commision website said that a public hearing and possible adoption of the amendment can be scheduled for March 12.
This comes after the Sparks City Council voted unanimously to prohibit people living in oversized vehicles from parking on public property last week.
The Sheriff's Office argued that this amendment would provide more uniform and cohesive enforcement across jurisdictions in the area, while also offering services and assistance to people experiencing homelessness.
“It’s not about criminalization, it’s about providing law enforcement the tools necessary to help direct folks to the resources that are needed,” Commissioner Clara Andriola said. “There already are two jurisdictions that have this in place, and not having Washoe County put this in place will create a disservice to looking at a consolidated approach, a regional approach to working together to solve this.”
To see other highlights from Tuesday's meeting, click here.
