Town looks to other models

Chapel Hill town staff have suggested looking toward Asheville's rules for guidance in fixing their panhandling problems.

But Asheville residents and officials said that their stricter rules have not fixed the problem.

Asheville rules prohibit panhandlers from asking for money day and night while Chapel Hill's limits vocal soliciting only at night.

Terrie Gale the Chapel Hill Police attorney wrote in an e-mail provided in the agenda for Monday's Chapel Hill Town Council meeting that the town might want to consider Asheville's rules noting that it hadn't been challenged in court.

Several Asheville citizens however" said they have not noticed significant differences in panhandling activities since the ordinance's 2002 enactment.

""I'm not saying it doesn't have any impact" it probably does but it doesn't have the impact that people downtown would like to see said Asheville Police Chief William Hogan.

Some downtown Asheville business owners said they have also seen little change.

 We haven't seen anything change as a result of any ordinances" said Jason Sellers, manager of the Laughing Seed Cafe, which gets occasional panhandling.

Chapel Hill downtown business owners and Town Council member Matt Czajkowski are pressing for some kind of change, though, and it's not the type that goes in the palms of panhandlers.

Czajkowski proposed Monday either making panhandling restrictions stricter or a complete ban.

I think any business owners on the street would tell you that it hurts business"" said Trent Reisberger, owner of Cold Stone Creamery on Franklin Street. I've had panhandlers come in here and ask customers for money and we've had constant problems with theft from our cake displays and our tip jar.""

At Monday's meeting"" ordinances from cities around the U.S. were compared to Chapel Hill's.

Czajkowski asked town staff to look more closely at these ordinances to see if they could be implemented in Chapel Hill.

""I've talked to so many people that have written Franklin Street off for a variety of reasons"" Czajkowski said. One of them is panhandling and along with the panhandling there is passive aggressive behavior.""

Business owners and some town officials say the town's current rules are not enforced and find the possibility of changes attractive.

Chapel Hill has already attempted to find alternative ways to help the needy. Programs like Real Change from Spare Change encourage people to give money to a collection fund that would go to a street outreach team"" instead of to open hands on the street.

""There are some good people out there who really need help"" said L. King, the manager of Light Years.

But Czajkowski said banning panhandling on Franklin Street would eliminate all problems faced by unwelcome solicitors.

Because it's an outright ban" I think it has more of an impact in improving the perception of Franklin" he said.

A ban is easy for people to understand.""



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