Several citizens asked during the July 5 City Commission meeting about the situation at the First United Methodist Church.
A public hearing on a permit to allow the tent encampment had been tentatively scheduled for July 19, but after the zoning commission voted in June to recommend that the City Commission deny the permit the church withdrew their application.
Downtown church withdraws permit application for tent encampment
Legal counsel for the church has indicated to city staff that they will submit a new permit application, which will start the process over again and require another public hearing at the zoning commission before it would be considered by the City Commission.
Several have asked what is being done to address the encampment currently on the church property, which is a violation of city code.
Zoning board denies permit request for tent encampment at downtown church
In May, the city sent the church a letter of violation and giving them 10 days to address the violation.
The church did not remove the encampment, so the city filed a lawsuit in district court to enforce its zoning code.
The lawsuit is pending in court now.
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City Attorney Jeff Hindoien said he’s had several conversations with the church’s legal counsel and they’ve advised the city that they’re taking their own steps to remove the encampment from their property and then submitting a new permit application soon.
City files legal action against downtown church over tent encampment
If those steps are accomplished, Hindoien said that there wouldn’t be further need for court enforcement of the zoning code or alternative processes such as the nuisance property process.
During the July 5 meeting, Mayor Bob Kelly said during a discussion on Community Development Block Grant funding that there are people working on the issues at the church, but at this point there’s not the skill set of infrastructure or IRS status for a grant to be awarded to that group yet.
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There’s been discussion of establishing a low or no barrier homeless shelter, which Kelly said is a “very difficult thing to stand up.”
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