With fire danger on the rise and concerns about homeless encampments growing in the Glenwood Springs area, city officials are hosting a virtual town hall to share information, take questions and explain what the city and its partners can and cannot do in response.

The one-hour webinar is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 24, via Zoom, and will feature a panel of local officials including City Manager Steve Boyd, City Chief of Public Safety Joseph Deras, Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario, and District Attorney Ben Sollars.

“With growing fire danger, recent close calls, and a community sense that the issue has become more visible, we thought this would be an important opportunity to share what we are doing, and what we cannot do,” Boyd said in a city news release. “Homelessness is a complicated issue with important community values that sometimes are in opposition with one another: compassionately aiding those most vulnerable and protecting public health, safety, and welfare for all residents and visitors.”

According to Glenwood Springs Public Information Officer Bryana Starbuck, the town hall is not in response to any single incident, but recent encampment-related fire activity — including one behind the Glenwood Springs Walmart earlier this summer — has made the issue more urgent for many residents.

“It’s clear that fire season is upon us, and this is definitely top of mind,” Starbuck said. “Public safety is the top concern of the city, and there are clearly risks when encampments exist outside city limits, especially in high-risk wildfire areas.”

She said the purpose of the town hall is to educate the public on the complexities surrounding homelessness, fire danger, and jurisdictional boundaries that limit city enforcement, especially when encampments are located on private land or outside city limits.

“We want to share with the community what can be done and what is being done — and also what we can’t do,” Starbuck said. “It’s not always a one-to-one connection between incidents and actions, but we know this is top of mind for our residents.”

Thursday’s discussion will cover law enforcement response, encampments, fire concerns, intervention efforts, and available resources. While no formal decisions or actions will be taken during the webinar, city officials say it will be a chance for the public to ask questions directly of those involved in managing the issue.

Starbuck said the city has previously been in contact with the owner of the property behind Walmart, where the recent fire started, but did not have current details about the status of that relationship. She said the city would look to provide more information during or after the meeting regarding ongoing coordination with property owners and partner agencies.

To attend the virtual town hall, residents can register for the Zoom link through the City of Glenwood Springs website.