FOLEY — City officials will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 6, on an ordinance against camping in public places intended to deal with an increasing number of people sleeping on streets and other areas, city officials said.

The Foley City Council voted Monday, Aug. 15, to set the public hearing for its next meeting. The resolution states that the hearing could be "to consider passage of an ordinance prohibiting camping in certain public places."

Because of the Labor Day holiday, the next council meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the ordinance is intended to give authorities one option when dealing with homeless people sleeping in cars on city streets and other public property.

"We're seeing more of this since Pensacola and Mobile cracked down and it's sent some people over this way," Hellmich said. "We're trying to close up some loopholes."

Hellmich said the ordinance is not intended as a way to harass homeless people or drive them out of the area. The mayor said city officials are working on guidance programs to help any homeless people in Foley, but the ordinance will give police the authority to act if people insist on camping on the street.

"We're working on guidance sheets that we can give to people that says these programs are available to you and we want to help you," Hellmich said. "We're trying to do what we can for them, but if they insist and say they're going to be camping out there, then we have the ordinance."

The Foley resolution did not include details of restrictions. Hellmich said Fairhope passed a similar ordinance several years ago.

The Fairhope City Council approved an ordinance in August 2019 that banned people sleeping in cars and on public property.

Then Mayor Karin Wilson vetoed the ordinance saying she felt the move was unfair. The council voted unanimously to override the veto.

Fairhope police said at those meetings that the ordinance was proposed after residents complained about people sleeping in cars near their property. Fairhope officials also said at the time that even with the ordinance, authorities would attempt to help homeless people found sleeping in public places rather than arresting them.