Public commenter accuses staff of obstructing records, urges restrooms and designated camping

A member of the public used the meeting’s general business period to press the Montpelier City Council on public‑records access and on how the city handles encampment removals and property storage.

The commenter told the council that a public‑records request for planning and city‑resource use related to an event was being improperly withheld and referenced the case Right to Know Inc. v. UVM to challenge the city attorney’s advice. The speaker said records at issue involved city computers and staff time and asserted the records should be released. The speaker also said a video of an encampment removal had been made available to the city but access had been restricted and the requested thumb drive had been refused at the city clerk’s office and redirected to the police department for viewing.

On encampments, the commenter said the city’s encampment policy requires notice and safe storage of removed property. The speaker identified Hubbard Park as a location where an encampment notice was not produced and said property removed from parks was being stored in a locked container at the Country Club loading area that has a leaky roof, which the speaker described as unsafe storage.

The public commenter urged the council to provide public restrooms, “allowable camping with safety provisions” and designated places that allow camping rather than repeated displacement of unhoused people. The speaker also raised sidewalk obstruction concerns, saying some merchants’ sandwich boards and other street furniture blocked sidewalks and impeded mobility devices.

The city manager responded that staff track and follow up on items members of the public bring to the city and specifically noted follow up on a prior report about debris at the City Center building. There was no formal council action recorded on the public‑records or encampment requests in the workshop minutes.

Ending: Council took no formal action during the workshop; staff acknowledged follow‑up responsibilities and the public encouraged the council to press staff for records release and to address restroom and encampment policies.