On July 25, Centralia passed a new rule prohibiting camping on city streets and limiting the amount of time an RV can be parked along a city street to 16 hours at a time.
When a motion to approve it was proposed, Mayor Pro-Tem Cameron McGee amended the ordinance so it not only changed Centralia’s new camping and parking rules but also included $35,000 for the purchase of a mobile surveillance camera as an additional crime deterrent. The camera was most recently discussed by the council for potential use in George Washington Park.
The ordinance was approved by a vote of 6-1, with Councilor Elizabeth Cameron opposing it, as she had on a previous reading.
“I’d like to see a safe parking space for RVs in place prior to (approving) such an ordinance,” Cameron said.
She added local organizations providing services to those experiencing homelessness can barely keep up with current demand. She said she is worried the ordinance could displace even more people.
Centralia resident Ray Chapman-Wilson raised the same concerns while speaking during public comments on Zoom. He also noted he some of his neighbors have had their vehicles parked on residential streets for years in some cases. He said he felt the ordinance unfairly targeted only people parking in RVs on the streets.
“I want to encourage all council members to consider a stay or a hold on enacting ordinance 2534, until such time there is a parking area where neighbors can safely stay without fear of losing everything,” Chapman-Wilson said.
The ordinance allows fines up to $500 depending on the number of offenses, and the possibility of a maximum of seven days in jail and vehicle impoundment.
Before the new ordinance, people camping in RVs could just move to another neighborhood when contacted by law enforcement, as the code had no enforceable actions police could take.
Now, camping is prohibited and RVs can only remain parked on any street, alley or public parking lot for 16 hours or less. Moving an RV within a 48-hour period will not reset the time limit, either. Additionally, unlawfully parked RVs can now be towed and impounded. RVs include both campers and motorhomes, according to the new municipal code.
Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham said his officers would start with a warning and would offer directions to services for the homeless before moving to harsher penalties.
“We don’t want to impound motorhomes. Nobody wants to impound motorhomes. They’re costly … We don’t want to take peoples’ houses away from them. What we want to do is get them in a safe place, a place where they can actually benefit from services to help them,” Denham said. “That is the overarching goal.”
He added there are currently eight RVs around Centralia that the department keeps receiving complaints about and is working to relocate.
Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston viewed the ordinance as a tool the department can use to help resolve issues with RVs throughout the city. She assured citizens attending the meeting the council’s primary priority is providing help and safety.
“In my conversations with city staff, and even the conversations I’ve had with my peers on council, our number one value is helping people and wanting them to have a safe place to be … and we go to great lengths to find ways to make that happen,” Smith Johnston said.
She added there are problem RVs, including one that’s been camped out in front of a residence for several months. The RV’s owners have refused to seek out services or move and are now encroaching on the property owner’s front yard and unlawfully dumping waste into the city’s water drain, she said.
“That’s a rare case, but I do think it’s appropriate for us to have that tool in the tool kit for those rare cases,” Smith Johnston said.
As for the mobile surveillance camera, Denham suggested purchasing it earlier in the meeting during a city manager report concerning complaints of people engaging in criminal activity at George Washington Park in downtown Centralia. It’s meant to act as a crime deterrent, as previously reported by The Chronicle.
For more information on about mobile surveillance cameras, visit https://tinyurl.com/3j3ddyc7.