OMAHA, Neb. - The City Council has voted down a proposed ordinance aimed at prohibiting homeless encampments on city property.

At the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday afternoon, item No. 62 failed to pass on a vote of 2-5. Councilman Brinker Harding and Councilwoman Aimee Melton voted for it.

The ordinance proposed by Harding this summer originally aimed to outlaw the camps in such a manner that anyone violating the ordinance would face citation or arrest if they refused the opportunity to be taken to a shelter. Last week, Harding updated his proposal for the ordinance to start with a written notice for the person living at the encampment to remove it, then outlining steps for Omaha Police to take the report to the mayor’s office. Even if the council had passed the ordinance, however, Mayor John Ewing Jr. said during a town hall on Monday night that he was prepared to veto it. That statement was met with applause from the more than 50 residents at the meeting at the Learning Community Center in North Omaha.

In a statement issued Tuesday after the vote, the mayor said homelessness in Omaha is a broader issue that will require collaboration.

“This is an important issue that will take all of us to fully address. I appreciate the conversations we have had, and I thank the Omaha City Council for the support. We’ve received a comprehensive plan and will work to implement the plan immediately. I am counting on all of our homeless service providers to work collaboratively and effectively. I’m calling for our broader Omaha community to come together to support these organizations and our efforts. We must respond to this urgent issue with compassion and action to get people off the streets and into safe, decent and affordable housing."

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