DeKalb County commissioners unanimously shelved a proposed camping ban Tuesday, Aug. 25, after the county sheriff warned enforcement could spike jail costs shared by Dunwoody and Brookhaven taxpayers.

The ordinance, which would prohibit camping that obstructs public property or interferes with entering and exiting locations, will return for a final vote Tuesday, Sept. 29. Commissioners plan to review the proposal in committee before then.

The deferral came after a 45-minute debate in Decatur. Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry relayed warnings from Sheriff Melody Maddox that enforcement could flood the county jail.

"Our sheriff has said that this ordinance could cause more people to come into the jail … And under her responsibility, which is again taking even more millions of dollars out of our county funds, it's an inefficient use of resources," Terry said at the meeting, reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.

District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah, the ordinance's sponsor, pushed back. She said the draft requires officers to issue a warning before any arrest and that police would retain discretion over enforcement. Massiah denied the measure would jail people experiencing homelessness, calling that characterization "grossly misleading and incorrect."

Advocates in the audience wore yellow shirts and red scarves. Some turned their backs in protest; others raised hands in support.

Gregory White, executive director of A Home for Everyone in DeKalb, told commissioners the draft lacked diversion language and did not specify where displaced individuals' belongings would be stored.

The proposal follows the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2024 ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which held that local camping bans do not violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. That decision opened the door for counties and cities nationwide to adopt enforcement ordinances.

Any spike in DeKalb detention expenses could ripple into the county's broader spending plan, which funds services across Dunwoody and Brookhaven.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to take a final vote on the ordinance Tuesday, Sept. 29. Committee meeting dates leading up to that vote have not been announced.