“No Solicitation Zone” possible for downtown

The Colorado Springs City Council takes the first steps to develop a “No Solicitation Zone” ordinance downtown that would ban panhandling.

In Monday’s City Council meeting, council members asked the city attorney questions regarding how the ordinance would stand legally and what it would include. Chris Melcher, the city attorney, said the city is basing the proposed ordinance off of what other cities have done in the past.

No public comment on the topic was accepted today. The council will meet once more before the ordinance is voted on. Monday Sept. 24, council members will meet in an informal meeting where the city attorney will present a draft to them, the public can go to this meeting, but council will not be hearing public comment.

If community members want to tell the City Council how they feel about the ordinance, they can do so on Tuesday October 9. That is when council members will vote on the first reading of the “No Solicitation Zone” ordinance, and public comment will happen before the vote takes place.

If the first reading passes, the ordinance will be voted on a second time Tuesday October 23, and public comment will be heard, once more, before the vote is taken by council members.