SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – After over an hour of input from the public on the proposed $70,000 fence near the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, the Sioux Falls city council voted unanimously to move forward with its plan.

The city of Sioux Falls is now working on the next steps to put a fence around an empty parking lot between Franklin and Indiana Avenue along 8th Street.

At Tuesday’s city council meeting Sioux Falls police chief Jon Thum says crime is one reason why the fence is needed, stating last year that area received 2,700 calls related to assault and destructive behavior.

“Just to remind it serves two purposes. The fence allows our team to respond quicker rather than having to wait for an owner designee of the diocese. And again, the physical barrier can be a deterrent to the ease of congregating on that lot,” Thum said.

During the open forum, over ten people came to voice their opinions, some saying they don’t think a fence is the right solution.

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“This is just being mean. As a taxpayer, I want my money being used to solve problems, not just move them somewhere else in this city,” Phyllis, a Sioux Falls resident said.

“They face enough barriers to accessing resources, to food, to joy. This is only a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” Rosie a Sioux Falls resident said.

With the fence near the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, executive director Madeline Shields says it will make it safer for staff and its guests. She added many who gather in that area do not use its services.

“They don’t want to come in. They want to be outside because they don’t want to abide by our rules,” Shields said. “We don’t allow any alcohol. We don’t allow any drugs. We don’t allow any food. We don’t allow any weapons.”

Council member, Rich Merkouris says with the fence in place, it will likely make people who gather there go to other areas in the community, but hopes it will direct them to existing local services.

“I believe it takes care of a congregating issue that we’re having in the most trafficked area in our community, and then it allows us to pursue the non-law enforcement intervention,” Merkouris said.

The lot will be on a five year lease according to the ordinance with the option to extend an additional five years at one-dollar per year.

Also before the vote council member Curt Soehl stated in the last seven years, the city has spent over $13 million in the non-profit sector.