LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New rules were passed Thursday night in Louisville Metro Council related to camping and blocking public ways like sidewalks.

The ordinance passed 16-8. Changes were made in three primary areas.

"The first area has to do with the amount of response time that is allowed for outreach to go out and assess whether or not something constitutes as an encampment," said Councilwoman Nicole George, who was a sponsor of this ordinance. 

She said that window is expanded from 48 to 72 hours.

"That is really important because we know our Homeless Services Division was struggling with the timeframes. We want to set a realistic timeframe for our workforce to be able to go out and meet people where they are and deliver services before something constitutes an encampment," said George.

She went on to explain the other parts of the ordinance.

"The second piece that this does is that it establishes no camping in parks and in a way that will allow proactive work with members of our community rather than reactive work," said George. 

The third piece relates to removing property that is blocking public sidewalks, alleys, and streets.

Supporters said it's about equal access to these spaces.

"If it isn't clear what this ordinance hopes to achieve, it is possible you may not live in a neighborhood where you see the challenges daily," George said Thursday night as council discussed before voting.

But at least one councilmember who voted against the ordinance said he doesn't believe this is the answer.

"I hope the public doesn't see this and think this is something that's really going to make a difference," Councilman Bill Hollander said. "I don't think it will. I think it's counter-productive. We've been told that now by 30 organizations. Thirty." 

Those organizations, including ACLU Kentucky, Metro United Way, St. John Center and others were listed on a letter sent to Metro Council, urging members to table the vote until Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg's administration has a coordinated plan.

At Thursday's council meeting, Councilman Jecorey Arthur made a motion to table the decision until the new year, but the motion failed. 

"The stricter we get with camping, the harder we make it for the people who already have it the hardest because there is no where for them to go," Arthur said before voting. He voted against the ordinance. 

During the council meeting, sponsor Councilman Pat Mulvihill said, "It's not a perfect solution, it's not going to solve everything. It's designed though, when there is a place deemed to be a high risk to be able to clear it quickly. And that's not happening."

While some like Hollander believe these changes target the homeless community, George said this is not about anyone's housing status.

"Quite frankly, in my neighborhoods, there's an array of behaviors that restrict access to the rights of way," George said. "And those folks are not all homeless," she told WDRB News Friday.

The Coalition for the Homeless is also weighing in with its thoughts about the ordinance. 

"I think it's a difficult issue to try to explain because we are really not opposed to the issues that many of the council members have raised. We understand there are a lot of neighbors in our community who are frustrated with the fact that the number of people who are homeless is increasing," said Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Natalie Harris.

Harris explained that the concern she has now is that she feels the real problem is not addressed with this wording.

"We don't feel like the ordinance that has been proposed and now passed really gets to the issues that people are complaining about," Harris said. "We really need a place for people to go and we really need both the new city administration and our Metro Council -- which will be largely new as well -- to work with us to come up with solutions that give people a place to go because if all we're doing is improving ordinances on how we can move people out of spaces, they're just going to move into new spaces, and new neighbors are going to be frustrated."

George said Thursday's passage is a starting point.

Hollander believes this document is much improved from what was originally brought up, but still said he thinks this vote should have waited until Greenberg takes over.

"I hope that the Greenberg administration will have a plan," Hollander said. "I think it would've been better to not change the ordinance until we knew what that plan was. But we'll have to see."

There is currently an online petition asking residents to urge Mayor Greg Fischer to veto the ordinance.

Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.