weigh in
Thursday,
Aug 21,2014 -Mason County Journal- Page A-11
continued from page A- 1
'~rou want to tell us how to manage
our property, as if we don't want to be
good neighbors ... We don't need you
to come in and manage everything," he
said.
As for the proposal to require the
churches to appoint a contact person
for the Shelton Police Department and
maintain a list of on-site visitors, "I don't
want to be an agent of the city's police
force," Mikel said.
A state law established in 2010 al-
ready guarantees churches the right to
use their properties for temporary home-
less camps and establishes regulations.
The law also prohibits municipalities
from banning the temporary camps.
The city's proposed regulations, first
presented at the commission's meeting
on July 21, allow churches to host as
many as 100 people in temporary home-
less camps for up to 90 days.
The proposed regulations require the
perimeter of the camp to be at least 20
feet from the neighboring property or
public right-of-way. A managing agency
would be required to provide and enforce
a written code of conduct. The rules ban
violence, alcohol, drugs, open flames, lit-
tering and trespassing on private prop-
erty.
Fifteen residents shared their opin-
ions about the proposed regulations at
Monday's public hearing. Mikel was the
only religious leader to step up to the mi-
crophone.
"The problem is there are a lot of
camps in and around Shelton," Mikel
said. "And they are there illegally. They
are subjected to being broken up."
Homeless people suffer because their
belongings are stolen, the pastor said.
The property owners are also burdened,
because there are trespassers on their
property, he said.
Mikel said he believes the city is rush-
ing to establish homeless camp regula-
tions, doing a "disservice" to churches
and neighbors.
"I think it's significant enough to farm
this out to the human services commit-
tee," he said.
And that was the commission's choice
as well. The three commissioners agreed
to hand the proposed regulations to its
new human services committee; which
will study the proposed rules and offer
its recommendations to the commission.
Commissioner Mike Olsen said he
disagrees with some of the proposed
rules. Requiring a 6-foot fence around a
temporary encampment might be over
burdensome for a church with 15 acres,
Olsen said. As for requiring a church to
have liability insurance, the churches
already assume liability for their own
property, he said.
Olsen said churches should not be re-
quired to maintain a list of on-site visitors.
Nevertheless, "I see no reason why we
can't make this work," he said.
Mayor Gary Cronce began his com-
ments by stating, "At first, I thought this
issue would just go away." His statement
was followed by gasps and chuckles from
audience members.
Cronce said he agrees that the re-
quirement for a 6-foot fence probably
needs to be changed. He said he agrees
that the regulations need more public in-
put and fine-tuning.
During the public hearing, Shelton
resident Barb Parsloe said the city's
proposed ordinance is "the kind of over-
regulation that leads citizens to despair."
"Many of the provisions seem arbi-
trary or unnecessarily restrictive," she
said. '%Vhy can't the church apply for a
permit every year? What is the purpose
of a 6-foot fence? How will it address
'safety, noise or crime?'"
She added, "The churches are one of
the bright lights that ensure that Mason
County is a caring community where we
want to live. Please don't make their ef-
forts more difficult."
Two residents shared very different
stories of living near homeless people.
Rod Whittaker, who lives next to the
Cold Weather Shelter in downtown Shel-
ton, said that he encountered a homeless
man who defecated in his carport the
previous evening.
"There is danger that comes with doing
this... I want people to know there will be
problems with these camps," he said.
But Connie Simpson said she's never
had problems with homeless people liv-
ing in the woods outside her Mill Creek.
property.
"I'm surprised by the civility of these
folks," Simpson said. Shelton residents
need to help people who are "down on
their luck," and provide "a community
that
was formed to advise the city on issues place for people to lay their heads down
affect the poor, The advisory group at night."
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