In anticipation of a large amount of public comment regarding urban camping, Bozeman City Commision will be starting their regular Tuesday meeting at 5 p.m., an hour earlier than usual.
The commission is hosting a work session to revisit the urban camping ordinance that it passed nearly a year ago. Currently, the ordinance requires campers to move every 30 days and camps cannot be located next to residences, schools, parks, daycares, or be within 100 feet of a business.
The city crafted its ordinance in compliance with a Ninth Circuit Court ruling, which was overturned in June by the Supreme Court.
Mayor Terry Cunningham said the work session had already been scheduled as a check-in on the ordinance.
“When the Supreme Court ruling came out, we decided to keep that on the calendar and expand the conversation because essentially the Supreme Court says we have the ability to regulate this issue locally,” Cunningham said.
The work session is meant to reflect on what has and has not been working, and hear directly from staff and the public in order to potentially draft any amendments.
A city survey on the topic received nearly 2,000 responses. The results will be summarized at the meeting, which include topics such as creating a permit system or designated parking lots for urban campers.
