The McKinney City Council on Oct. 21 adopted a resolution supporting the "Better Together" initiative and approved two related ordinances aimed at regulating camping and sleeping in public spaces.

The council voted to adopt a downtown-focused "physical occupancy" ordinance that makes it unlawful to sleep or lie down in certain public rights-of-way in the city's MTC (downtown) zoning district, and separately approved a citywide ordinance that clarifies and expands the city's camping prohibitions, including a provision that in some places will bar overnight sleeping in vehicles. Both ordinances include a one-year sunset clause for reevaluation.

Why it matters: The measures — which city staff described as "tools in the toolbox" to address visible homelessness and downtown safety concerns — set new enforcement parameters that will affect where people may sleep in public and how property owners and police respond. Supporters argued the city needs clearer options to protect downtown businesses and residents; opponents said the ordinances risk criminalizing people who are experiencing homelessness and push vulnerable residents farther from services.

City staff, led by Jennifer Arnold, described the two ordinances as companion pieces to the council's resolution. "This physical occupancy... would make it an unlawful for somebody to sleep, or lie down in public spaces," Arnold said, noting the downtown ordinance applies only to streets, sidewalks, medians, parkways and pedestrian rights-of-way within the MTC district and includes limited allowances for benches and architectural seating.

The citywide camping amendment moves existing park-focused camping rules into Chapter 70 of the code, clarifies that "camping" can include sleeping in a vehicle overnight and specifies where vehicle-sleeping would be prohibited: on city-owned parking lots and on city rights-of-way. Arnold said sleeping on private property and sleeping in a vehicle on a private commercial parking lot would remain allowed when the property owner permits it.

Speakers at the council meeting presented sharply different views. Molly Brown, a resident who identified herself as having signed up to speak on multiple items, told the council, "I hate this ordinance... I hate that it makes it a code violation to sleep in one's own vehicle," and warned that criminalizing visible homelessness can be deadly.

Representatives of local service providers urged caution about enforcement before more housing and services are in place. Lee Stark, a street-outreach caseworker for the Wellness Center for Older Adults, described recent local outreach results: "Since May 2023... we've seen 424 either individuals or households just here in McKinney. We have been able to house 47 of those individuals," and he urged the council to reject the camping ordinance and allow outreach work to continue.

Others supported the ordinances as necessary to protect downtown commerce and resident safety. Councilman Plautier, who said his long experience downtown informs his position, told colleagues the city needs tools to address repeated violations of what he called the community's "social contract." He moved approval of the downtown ordinance and later moved approval of the citywide camping amendment.

Law enforcement and legal staff described how the ordinances would interact with existing practice. Jeremy Page of the city attorney's office said the downtown sleeping prohibition is limited to the areas Arnold described. Lieutenant Kennedy of the McKinney Police Department said the department is exploring an affidavit program (often called a "CTW affidavit" in other cities) that would allow property owners to delegate reporting and reduce the need for owners to call officers in the middle of the night, but he said that program was under study and not yet in place.

Council action and votes:
- Resolution adopting the Better Together guiding principles (Item 25-3301): motion to approve by Mayor Pro Tem Juray Feltes; second by Councilman Lynch; approved by the council.
- Ordinance creating "physical occupancy" restrictions in downtown public spaces (Item 25-3302, amending Chapter 70, Article 12): motion by Councilman Plautier; second by Councilman Franklin; approved 6–1. The ordinance applies only within the MTC district and carries a one-year sunset for evaluation.
- Ordinance amending camping prohibitions (Item 25-3303, amending Chapters 74 and 70): motion by Councilman Plautier; second by Councilman Lynch; approved 5–2. The ordinance moves park camping rules into Chapter 70, adds a definition that can include vehicle sleeping, limits vehicle-sleeping prohibitions to city-owned lots and rights-of-way, and places responsibility on property owners who "knowingly" allow camping in violation of the code. It also contains a one-year sunset clause.

Councilmembers who spoke in opposition warned about enforcement gaps and a lack of housing and services. One councilmember said, "I am going to be a no on this ordinance," and another cautioned the city could be "pushing people further into a hard place" without additional shelter and support options. Supporters said the measures are reversible and intended to be monitored during the sunset period.

What the ordinances do not do: Staff and council repeatedly emphasized that the ordinances do not authorize immediate mass sweeps, do not criminalize private-property hosting when a person is sheltered inside a residence, and do not ban sleeping in private commercial parking lots when owners permit it. Arnold and Page said the city would monitor enforcement during the one-year sunset period and could return to the council sooner if problems arise.

Next steps and follow-up: City staff recommended and the council approved monitoring and reporting during the sunset periods. Lieutenant Kennedy said the police department is examining administrative options such as property-owner affidavits to streamline enforcement and reduce calls for service; that program was exploratory and not yet implemented.

Public reaction and context: Dozens of residents and representatives of local nonprofits spoke during the meeting. Speakers included representatives or references to Emmanuel Labor, Samaritan Inn and Metro Relief; providers and outreach workers urged more coordinated funding and case management capacity. Speakers also cited national research and local Point-in-Time counts when describing the population affected by homelessness.

The council meeting packet and staff presentations noted the downtown ordinance aligns with the MTC zoning district and that both ordinances were intended to be temporary tools while the city pursues the broader Better Together initiative.

A one-year sunset and staff monitoring will determine whether the council revises or extends the ordinances after the initial enforcement period.