HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-08-23 Public Comment - W. Gaverick - Ordinance 2147 Camping on City Right-of-way (UC)From:Wren Garverick
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comments on Ordinance 2147 Camping on City Right-of-way
Date:Monday, August 7, 2023 8:02:29 PM
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To the City Commission of Bozeman,
After reading the terms of the proposed camping ordinance, I had three concerns:
1. An extension of the 5 day limit within the ordinance is only available to people who fit the
definition of “involuntarily homeless.” As a mid-level manager at a tech company in BozemanI have had two separate employees making ~55k annually who could not afford Bozeman rent
or home prices and each individual opted to purchase an RV so they could remain in thevalley. I would hope these people would also be allowed to extend their stays past the 5 day
limit so long as the location and their behavior wasn’t concerning.
2. Allowing no camping within city limits seems unnecessarily stringent. I can’t see a reasonwhy streets going through undeveloped property that fit all the requirements of Sec 34 C 2
wouldn’t be an acceptable place for our citizens to live in RVs or other structures. Forexample, the roads through undeveloped land off Baxter (Kimberwicke, Equestrian, etc.).
3. I hope, if passed, the positions created for education and enforcement lean more heavily on
the education side. I know many citizens are voicing concern about the increase in urbancamping but from the articles posted by the BPD and HRDC in the last few months, it’s clear
that the majority of these campers have positive relationships with officials and case workers.
I appreciate the clear compassion of our commissioners and hope it continues to extend to allBozeman residents regardless of socio-economic status. Thanks for your consideration.
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Wren Garverick
(406) 581-1718wren.arf@gmail.com