A week after a crowded community meeting on public safety, the Homewood City Council had the city attorney draft an ordinance to address some of the most common public safety concerns around the growing homeless problem.
To pass the ordinance during the same meeting as the first reading, the council needed the vote to move it for immediate consideration to be unanimous. However, outgoing Ward 1 City Councilwoman Melanie Geer voted no, delaying the issue until the next regular council meeting on October 13.
Public safety chair Andy Gwaltney described the ordinance as a "toolkit" that would provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to address issues such as people sleeping in their cars overnight, individuals sleeping in public parks, homeless encampments, and other problems.
The ordinance would require the police to give an individual a warning before an arrest could be made. The ordinance was created using language from other municipalities that have withstood legal challenges.
The issue was brought before the council in the weeks after kids saw a homeless man bathing in a creek in a residential neighborhood while on their way home from school. He was later identified by residents as a registered sex offender.
A second homeless individual was arrested after two days of complaints that included indecent exposure. Earlier Tuesday, the city announced the arrest of a homeless individual. At the time of his arrest, according to a statement by Homewood Police, "The suspect was in possession of a lock pick set, a crowbar, and bolt cutters, all of which are commonly used in the commission of burglary and theft crimes. He was also in possession of drug paraphernalia."
Homewood Police Department (HPD) chief Tim Ross stated at last week's public meeting that encounters with the homeless have increased by 15% since 2024.
According to HPD's Sgt. Mark Trippe, "These calls include soliciting, trespassing, and loitering. We do have interactions with apparent homeless individuals on a near daily basis and have made numerous arrests, however we don't have specific arrest related numbers at this time."
A CBS42 report quoted one of the many mothers who attended the public safety meeting that led to the ordinance and the immediacy of the need for action.
She said, "My daughter, 12 years old, still cries at night that people didn't come when she needed them."
"She saw a homeless man hit a man on the head that refused to give him money and then he exposed himself right in front of the strip area where they were eating dinner," the mother added.
Law enforcement would still have discretion to consider the totality of a situation before taking action. The issue of someone falling asleep waiting for a loved one to get off work was brought up by Geer to groans and whispers of confusion. She said, "I'm not sure I'd want the police to be going to the cars and questioning them for that reason." Then, she said that some of the people she had heard from would like it to "air for a couple of weeks."
Gwaltney, to widespread applause, talked about his support and trust in local law enforcement.
Councilman Walter Jones spoke about what he saw and heard at the public safety meeting. "The thing that was the most evident, residents didn't want something passed in a month, they wanted something passed as quickly as possible," he added, receiving resounding applause from concerned citizens.
Councilman Andrew Wolverton described it as a "complex issue," noting some of the homeless city personnel encounter want help, some don't.
The Homewood Police Department told 1819 News in a prior interview that most encounters involve individuals who reject offers to connect them with non-profits or shelters, or in the case of when officers are called related to an individual trespassing, a ride to somewhere else.
Jones pointed out that it's not just the police department that has seen strained services, saying that the fire department has also had to respond to calls for vehicle fires. He said the problem "strains all resources."
City Councilwoman and Mayor-elect Jennifer Andress expressed her support for the ordinance, saying, "Hopefully we do pass this tonight," while acknowledging that the new council and her administration would continue to address the issue, working with shelters and non-profits, calling it "continual work."
Amid concerns from Geer, Jones pointed out that the ordinance could be amended if it were passed.
Motion to pass the ordinance was made by Gwaltney and seconded by Andress; however, with one of the first votes, Greer killed the prospect of its immediate passage. When called on, she first tried to abstain. After it was explained that she couldn't abstain, she voted no.
Her vote was met with several loud boos and expressions of frustration from the audience.
After some confusion in the audience, including members of the public wishing to speak, Mayor Alex Wyatt explained that this was a process meeting and that if it had unanimous consent, the ordinance could have been voted on then and there, but that it would still come up at the next meeting for a vote.
Before the meeting ended, Geer voiced her objections to the process of fast-tracking a vote through unanimous consent. A process that council members were trying to use for public safety, especially the safety of children.
In a Facebook post shared with 1819 News, following the vote, Geer commented, stating that her objections were based on emails from "five neighbors" who had questions about the language in the ordinance.
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