Pendleton council to meet on resting ordinance lawsuit proposal
Published 4:23 pm Friday, June 19, 2026
PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Council holds a special meeting June 29 at the Pendleton Convention Center to conduct a public hearing on a proposal to settle the lawsuit against the city for its resting ordinance.
City Manager Rob Corbett announced the meeting in a press release Friday, June 19.
The Oregon Law Center sued the city on behalf of individuals experiencing homelessness. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the city's existing resting ordinance violates Oregon law.
City insurance would not cover the cost of litigation, according to Corbett, and due to changes in state law, the city likely needs to amend its ordinance.
Per press release, the settlement proposal has four primary components:
1. The city will repeal and replace the resting ordinance to bring it in line with more recent state laws.
2. The city will waive outstanding fines from previous violations against the plaintiffs.
3. The city also will waive outstanding fines against people violating the existing resting ordinance.
4. The city will make $120,000 available for enhanced sheltering or day center services in the community, minus the total amount of the waived fines.
The new proposed ordinance would increase the resting period from eight hours to 24 hours.
The city's ordinance allows police to issue a citation after someone has occupied a public space for eight hours, then state law requires a 72-hour notification period before the removal of an illegal shelter. Oregon case law indicates a 24-hour initial resting period is reasonable, according to the press release, after which the state-required 72-hour notification period is initiated, allowing the citation only if the shelter is not removed after the 72-hour period.
If officers observe illegal activity, the shelter can be removed immediately.
Points of consideration
According to the announcement, the funds to meet the obligation of the agreement are likely to come from partner organizations.
The city is not paying for opposing legal fees nor is it paying anything to the plaintiffs, and the city admits no wrongdoing.
All documents will be made available to the public at least the days before the public hearing on the city of Pendleton website.
