MANSFIELD — City Council is scheduled to continue discussions Wednesday on a proposed ban of camping in the downtown Central Business District.
Council normally meets on Tuesdays, but the meeting was pushed back due to Election Day.
The camping measure is scheduled to receive its second reading Wednesday. A final reading and vote are scheduled for Nov. 17.
It’s not a new issue in Mansfield
It’s not a new issue for the downtown area.
A Mansfield/Richland County Homeless Response Team was launched in 2022 to match social workers with Mansfield police officers to hit the streets and meet unhoused residents in the downtown and other locations.
In February, the team assisted residents at the Mansfield Inn in Mifflin Township when that hotel was closed by the Richland County Building Department for structural issues.
The city in 2024 allocated $872,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds, to help Wayfinders, the local homeless shelter, build a new facility at 661 Park Ave. East.
That site is expected to open by the end of 2026. It will have 80 beds, more than the current 56-bed site at 124 W. Third St.
Council is scheduled Wednesday to add another $19,891.29 for the Wayfinders project in unused ARPA spending. Projects using ARPA funds must be complete by Dec. 31 under federal guidelines.
So what would the new law mandate do?
The proposed camping legislation would add Section 521.17 to the Mansfield Codified Ordinances, barring people from establishing temporary or permanent living accommodations in outdoor public spaces or unpermitted private property across the downtown zoning district.
Violations would be classified under a progressive penalty structure, starting as a minor misdemeanor for a first offense and escalating to a fourth-degree and third-degree misdemeanor for repeat violations within a 12-month period.
The bill specifies that resting, sitting, lying down, or using a blanket solely for warmth does not constitute camping without observable conduct such as pitching tents, laying out bedding, storing cooking equipment or igniting open fires.
It also requires Mansfield police officers to identify themselves, explain the violation, and provide a reasonable opportunity to comply before issuing citations or making arrests, while establishing exemptions for severe weather emergencies and permitted community gatherings.
What have Mansfield lawmakers said thus far?
During City Council caucus discussions last month, lawmakers said the measure is intended as a public safety mechanism, rather than a punitive push against the unhoused.
“It does seem … as though we as a city … city elected officials … are the bad guys and we’re trying to displace people,” 5th Ward Councilman Aurelio Diaz said at the time. “That is not the case at all.”
Diaz, a downtown resident, noted concerns raised by downtown destinations including the Richland Carrousel Park and the Richland Academy of the Arts.
“We also have to talk about people’s protection, their safety,” he said. “It’s a lot broader than just us saying we don’t want homeless people camping out in our beautiful downtown, so I think we should really eliminate that narrative.”
Sixth Ward Council member Deborah Mount, who chairs council’s zoning committee, said the measure focuses on public rights-of-way, sidewalks, and alleys.
“When people are erecting tents, putting down mattresses, bedding, etc., basically living on the streets… starting fires, maintaining stoves, grills … this is addressing the fire safety, public health hazards,” Mount said.
At-Large Councilwoman Shari Robertson, a retired Mansfield police captain, characterized the proposal as an outreach tool.
“It’s not out there to punish people or just going to drag people off the streets,” Robertson said. “It’s actually a tool in a lot of ways for us, law enforcement, for advocates for the task force to help direct some of these people in areas that they may need a little extra push sometimes.”
However, 3rd Ward Councilwoman Crystal Davis Weese said the ban could create unintended fallout if enforcement lacks round-the-clock social services.
“Just removing them off the street and placing them [in] jail for a small period of time, you’re going to see them right back on the street when they’re back out with no resources, no help, no support,” Davis Weese said, urging closer collaboration with community advocates.
City Council on Tuesday is also scheduled to:
— give a second read to a law updating traffic codes governing bicycles, electric bicycles and electric personal assistive mobility devices.
The ordinance prohibits anyone over the age of 14 from riding bicycles or electric bicycles on city sidewalks, with an exception allowing operation on residential sidewalks only while the electric motor is disengaged and speeds do not exceed 10 mph. It also mandates helmet use for e-bike operators and passengers under 18.
— vote on the renewal of an agreement with the Richland County Board of Commissioners to reimburse counsel fees and expenses for court-appointed attorneys representing indigent criminal defendants in Mansfield Municipal Court.
— vote to appropriate $454,022 from the Ohio Public Works Commission fund to account for state vendor payments tied to the Main Street Improvement Project.
— vote to transfer $90,000 within the city’s garage operating fund to pay for higher gasoline and diesel prices for municipal vehicles through the end of 2026.
— vote to shift $75,000 within the safety services fund from fire personnel services to contractual services for upcoming repairs, maintenance and professional work.
— vote to reallocate $25,640.05 in unused ARPA funds toward the Westinghouse Arch project.
— vote to increase the drawer-change petty cash fund for the Permitting and Development Department to $400 from the current $200.
A claims committee meeting is scheduled Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. Council’s caucus is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with the legislative session following immediately thereafter.
