Homelessness will be the focus of four upcoming town halls in Medford hosted by city councilors.

Each of the public forums in May and June will be held by the two councilors who represent their respective wards. Medford has four council wards representing the northeast, northwest, southwest and southeast portions of the city.

Issues surrounding homelessness have dominated City Council discussions for years and have raised the ire of various community members and local businesses, besieged by drug problems, public defecation, public sexual activities, harassment and property damage.

Other community members have complained the city has gone too far, claiming police have harassed the homeless.

Another big concern the community faces is fire danger from campsites, particularly after the 2020 Almeda Fire.

All the town halls will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The first town hall will be held Wednesday, May 24, at Hedrick Middle School, representing Ward 4, represented by councilors Eric Stark and Nick Card. The school is located at 1501 E. Jackson St.

The second will be held Wednesday, May 31, at the North Medford High School cafeteria. The address is 1900 N. Keene Way, and the councilors representing Ward 1 are Jessica Ayres and Sarah Spansail.

On Tuesday, June 6, the town hall will be held at the South Medford High School cafeteria, 1551 Cunningham Ave. Ward 2 is represented by councilors Tim D’Alessandro and Zac Smith.

“The Ward 3 town hall will be Tuesday, June 20, at Santo Community Center, 701 N. Columbus Ave. Councilors representing Ward 3 are Kevin Stine and Chad Miller.”

The council recently approved removing tents from various locations around the city, mostly along the Bear Creek Greenway and in parks.

So far, the efforts have reduced the number of tents visible from the freeway and local streets and parks.

Councilor Nick Card said the town halls will provide an opportunity to listen to residents’ concerns and discuss what the city has done to address homelessness.

“The point is to build that two-way communication,” he said.

At the same time, Card said the council needs to let residents know the city can’t solve this societal problem that has affected communities in the region. “Homelessness is not a moment in time solution, it’s a process,” he said.

Card said the city needs to keep moving forward on the issue, developing strategies and listening to the community.

“There is only so much we can do as a city,” he said. “We have to follow state law, federal law and case law.”

Many cities throughout the state have struggled to deal with an Oregon law that requires law enforcement give illegal tent campers 72 hours notice before moving their belongings. Previously the state law provided only 24 hours notice, but was changed in 2021.

A recent interpretation by city legal staff is that the 72-hour notice applies to an “established camping site,” or one that has been in a location for more than five days.

However, if it is a new camping site created within five days, it wouldn’t be considered “established” and wouldn’t require the 72-hour notice, according to the new ordinance.

Armed with that clear wording, the Livability Team should be able to clear out tents as soon as they pop up, Card said.

He thought the council action should “address illegal camping before it takes any semblance of permanence.”

The Medford Livability Team began enforcing the prohibited camping ordinance May 3, after the council took action targeting tent camping.

At first, the Medford Livability Team focused on the area around I-5, near exit 30. This area was targeted because of fire risk from thick vegetation and was the site of two recent homicides.

Sixty yards of trash and debris were removed by Medford Parks and Recreation, Public Works, the Oregon Department of Transportation and Rogue Retreat

After the campsites were cleared out, the city began removing vegetation and mowing grassy areas.

Altogether seven campsite areas were targeted, and police gave 72-hour notices to the campers to move out, which gave officers with the Livability Team time to get the people into temporary shelters, such as Rogue Crossings, formerly known as the urban campground, off Biddle Avenue in north Medford.

By May 6, 72 hours after the notice was given, the Livability Team moved the transients into transitional housing or found other options. The team arranged transportation to get the people and their belongings to a new location.

Police Chief Scott Clauson said the enforcement effort addresses fire and public safety concerns from the public.

“I want to reiterate that this process will take weeks, most likely months, as we continue to work to connect campers with services and clean the Greenway up,” he said.

With the campsites removed, police can immediately remove any new ones after the City Council approved its enforcement of the tent camping ban.

Councilor Kevin Stine said the town halls are a good way to reach out to the community, though he hopes to open the discussion to other topics that interest residents.

“I want to broaden the discussion a little bit instead of just homelessness,” he said.