The Kent City Council voted unanimously to pass a public camping ban on Tuesday night.
The ordinance bans camping outside of designated camping areas to keep people from sleeping near businesses and along the Green River.
Before the city enforces the new rule, individuals living in unauthorized encampments will be offered alternative shelter, to temporarily store their belongings and "to address any relevant underlying conditions that may have led to the individual" to camping outside of a designated area, according to the ordinance.
The revised camping ordinance was presented during an Oct. 4 Operations and Public Safety Committee meeting. Officials in support of the new ordinance said camping case reports and complaints have been on the rise.
According to the city, there were 60 camping case reports in 2019, 95 in 2020 and 72 in 2021. The city said there have been 68 camping cases reported from Jan. through July of 2022, with that number trending towards 116 for all of 2022.
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