Owosso sets Oct. 5 hearing on banning camping on city property

Owosso is moving to make it illegal to camp on any property the city owns or controls, and residents get their say on Monday, Oct. 5.

The City of Owosso posted formal notice Thursday of a public hearing set for 6:30 p.m. that day in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 301 W. Main St. The notice says the council will take citizen comment "regarding the proposal to prohibit camping on City-owned and/or City-controlled properties." The change is written as an amendment to Chapter 21 of the city code, Parks and Recreation.

The notice is the city's own language and is short on detail. It does not say what would count as camping, what the penalty would be, who would enforce it, or whether the ban would reach beyond parks to parking lots, rights-of-way and other city-held ground. The notice links to the proposed ordinance text for anyone who wants to read it before the hearing.

The Current reported Sept. 24 that the council set this hearing at its Sept. 21 meeting, on the same night it adopted the towing ordinance for unpaid parking tickets on a 6-1 vote. The council also set an Oct. 5 hearing on the single-hauler trash ordinance, which means both items land in the same room on the same evening.

The city lists three ways to weigh in. Comments can be made in person at the meeting. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to 301 W. Main St. A verbal comment can also be left by phone at (989) 725-0596 before the meeting.

What happens next: the hearing opens at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in the City Hall Council Chamber. A council vote on the ordinance amendment has not been announced, and the city has not said whether the council would act the same night. The Current has asked what the ordinance text specifies on penalties and enforcement.