Summit council advances amended camping ordinance after marathon public hearing, delays final vote

The Summit Common Council introduced an amended ordinance that would prohibit camping on city-owned public property and lay out notice and court options for enforcement, after an extended public hearing that drew more than 40 residents, service providers and legal experts.

The ordinance, introduced by Councilman Kevin Boyer, renames the code section to focus on camping on public property and adds a requirement that police give people two hours' notice before removing unattended items and clarifies alternatives available to municipal court judges, including community service or behavioral-health options. Boyer said the changes make explicit the options already available under state law and that the measure is intended to protect public safety while preserving outreach and housing-first work.

Why it matters: The proposal touched off a long public comment period in which advocates for people experiencing homelessness, faith leaders, housing providers and legal groups argued that criminalizing camping would penalize people for homelessness and worsen outcomes, while business owners and other residents said visible encampments and repeated calls for service have harmed public safety and local commerce.

What the council did: After public comment and council discussion the body voted to carry — that is, postpone the final vote — to the next meeting to allow further written input and to work with outside counsel and the Department of Community Affairs on refinements. The motion to carry the vote passed on a roll-call that showed the motion carried with a majority but with two council members voting no. The council president said the delay was intended to incorporate legal review and suggestions offered by state and national homelessness policy experts who attended the hearing.

Public testimony: More than three dozen speakers addressed the council. Supporters of the ordinance pointed to repeated calls for police and first responders tied to a small group of individuals and said public-safety incidents — including a recent reported threat to a middle-school child and episodes of public defecation and intoxication — required stronger local tools. Opponents, including staff from the state Department of Community Affairs' Office of Homelessness Prevention, the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness, local nonprofit providers (Bridges Outreach, Family Promise Union County, Monarch Housing) and many residents, argued the ordinance would criminalize poverty and that existing state and federal law and local social services should be the path to resolution.

Officials and process notes: Mayor Elizabeth Fagan and council members repeated that Summit will continue to invest in outreach and rapid rehousing; Leah Griffith, chair of the mayor's homelessness task force, described weekly triage meetings and outreach teams that respond five days a week. Police Chief Ryan Peters told council the department will draft standard operating procedures to ensure alternatives are used first and to coordinate with the task force before escalated enforcement. Multiple legal and policy experts at the hearing warned that ordinances that ban sleeping or camping can raise constitutional and legal risks if there are not adequate shelter alternatives; the council indicated it will work with outside counsel before the next vote.

Next steps: The council carried the final vote to the next regular meeting; the amended ordinance will be revised as needed and returned for formal adoption after additional legal review and stakeholder input.