A Topeka City Council committee met eight times over 18 months to deliberate over a proposal that initially would have banned camping on public property, including sidewalks, and on private property without the owner’s written consent. After a conversation that came to include members of the local homeless community, committee members Sylvia Ortiz, Karen Hiller and Mike Padilla voted 3-0 last month to recommend the council approve a compromise version of that measure.
(Read more: Local Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal)