Downtown business owners in Seaside want help controlling aggressive panhandlers.

“If we sit here and get wishy-washy, and don’t take some real measures we’re going to have a really, really ugly summer,” business owner Neil Dundas said. “It’s going to get worse.”

At a forum Wednesday, April 25, hosted by the Seaside Downtown Development Association and Seaside Police Department, business owners asked police to take a “hard line” when it comes to aggressive panhandlers, who, they say, camp out on city streets, intimidate passers-by, play loud music and litter.

Business owner Jeremy Stevenson asked for greater police presence, describing panhandlers who station themselves outside his store for hours at a time, sometimes for days on end.

Wayne Poole, whose Pig ’N Pancake restaurant sits in the heart of Broadway, said the city should “take the aggressive side and figure out how to deal with it.”

The perception of Seaside has gotten “sketchy,” businesswoman Rebecca Buck added. “My children won’t come here anymore.”

Seaside has ordinances designed to control begging, public performances and disorderly conduct.

In 2015, the City Council considered new regulations on panhandlers, musicians and itinerant merchants. The amendment would have required a $50 per day fee for anyone soliciting “for any form of compensation or remuneration.”

Opposition was swift. At a public hearing, the amendment was called “wrong,” “brutal,” “discriminatory” and “a street-sweeping technique.”

The amendment failed to pass and the issue was tabled.

Three years later, business owners say problems have gotten worse.

In November, they approached the downtown association and Police Chief Dave Ham with complaints.

A committee was formed to address the challenge, leading to Wednesday’s forum, which brought about 60 people to City Hall.

In 2015, police counted 17 unlawful lodging cases, issuing eight citations. Numbers were similar in 2016. In 2017, when police started tracking tents on the beach in addition to unlawful lodging, 79 unlawful lodging case files were taken. Police issued 15 citations for tents on the beach.

“They’re not ticket-happy,” Ham said. “Those who deserve the education are the ones who put the middle finger up and say, ‘I don’t need to listen to you.’”

This summer, police will increase their downtown visibility, adding foot or bicycle patrols, he said. A police intern will add additional patrol capability.

Police will also seek greater compliance from complainants and witnesses. “We can issue a citation, but we need you as a witness,” Ham said. “We’re going to need your participation.”

Other options include reconsideration of a permit process for panhandlers, limiting public Wi-Fi capabilities, outdoor utilities and even replacing wooden benches with less comfortable stone ones to discourage extended stays.

Seaside could also take a cue from Salem and Astoria, with a program that lets businesses authorize police to enforce trespassing laws on private property after hours.

In Astoria, more than 40 businesses have signed on this year for Property Watch. A one-year contract between businesses and police allows officers to remove people engaging in loitering or disorderly activity.

State law does not allow police to prevent people from using public spaces — including for panhandling, sitting or lying down.

In Seaside, a sign-up form for businesses has been drafted and will go to the city attorney for review.