Salisbury City Council takes further action to revise panhandling ordinance
Published 12:05 am Thursday, February 22, 2024
- The new ordinances will not make panhandling illegal in Salisbury, but it will regulate how people can go about doing it. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council previously heard from City Attorney Graham Corriher at its Feb. 6 meeting about proposed revisions to the city’s panhandling ordinance. While the new laws won’t make panhandling in the city illegal, since that would violate the First Amendment, it will regulate it to an extent that residents are not put in potentially vulnerable situations.
“We’re ensuring that we’re not criminalizing poverty and homelessness, what we’re ensuring is that we’re trying to act in the best interest in public safety,” Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield.
On Feb. 20, Corriher clarified what can and can not take place near high-traffic and high-collision roads. Unless a person is actively crossing the street, no one is permitted to be on the medians in those designated areas. Walking into the street to “engage with traffic” is also banned as well as standing on the shoulder while interacting with vehicles on the road.
“What’s not prohibited is standing on the side of the road and asking for money or doing anything on the side of the road, holding a sign,” Corriher said.
Some of these zones include Mooresville Road, Statesville Boulevard, Jake Alexander Boulevard, Julian Road, and Faith Road. Corriher then explained the specifics of the “100-foot rule” that was mentioned at the last meeting.
“The 100-foot rule is not 100 feet from the road, it’s any road that’s 100 feet from those roads that are on the map,” Corriher said. “This is designed to get at the intersections into those roads.”
At the end of the presentation, the city council approved the first reading of the ordinance revisions. Corriher said it will take at least one additional meeting for the city council to finalize the ordinance revisions because when there’s a criminal penalty related to one, it requires two, separate confirmations for it to be ratified.
Additionally, the city council voted for private citizens to purchase educational signage from the city that encourages others to give to charity instead of panhandlers. Each sign will cost $60 and the sign post will cost $45.
The next city council meeting will be on Mar. 5.
