Mayor: Give to charities, not panhandlers on The Murfreesboro Post

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Mayor: Give to charities, not panhandlers

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By: JONATHAN FAGAN, editor@murfreesboropost.com

Posted: Sunday, July 15, 2012 4:01 am

Thursday’s meeting of the Murfreesboro City Council included a lengthy discussion by council members concerning the growing problem of panhandling throughout the city.

City Attorney Susan McGannon offered the council a list of best practices that other communities have adopted as a result of similar panhandling issues, and she offered suggestions on implementation of any such policies.

Councilman Shane McFarland suggested a special council meeting with leaders of charities in the community such as Room At The Inn and Greenhouse Ministries, which minister to the city’s homeless population.

Councilman Eddie Smotherman said he also would like to see such a meeting take place before any policy was implemented, but went further in describing the particulars of the growing panhandling problem.

“Maybe I shouldn’t use this specific example, but I will,” he said. “One man who has staked out the corner of the Broad Street and Memorial Boulevard owns a house and six acres in Rockvale, and he has made panhandling his job.

“The other day he told me he had a $186 bill for repairs to his zero-turn mower and he would be on that corner until he had panhandled enough money to pay it,” he added.

McFarland echoed Smotherman’s comments and said one of the biggest problems is having the “same people at the same street corners day after day, week after week, month after month.”

Mayor Tommy Bragg suggested the best way to stop such dishonest panhandling practices is to stop giving money to such individuals, instead making donations to the many charities charged with feeding the homeless.

“The city can only do so much,” he said. “If the public doesn’t want these people on the streets, don’t give them money.”

City Manager Rob Lyons then suggested Nashville had dealt with the problem by converting some parking meters into donation boxes for local charities that help the homeless.

Bragg then suggested a better course of action would be for concerned council members and citizens to attend the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Murfreesboro Homeless Task Force at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 19 in room 218 of City Hall.

“We already have a task force charged with these issues,” he said. “Maybe those council members who are concerned with this issue should first consult with this existing committee before proceeding.”

No further action was taken on the subject.

Other agenda items considered:

• A recommendation by IT Director Chris Lilly to implement a system for credit and debit card payments for Murfreesboro Water & Sewer customers and City Court. Payments will also be accepted online with a 3 percent fee charged to the customer. The motion passed unanimously.

• An amendment to the stop-loss policy of the city’s employee health insurance plan required by the new federal Affordable Care Act, which disallows lifetime policy limits. The lifetime limits will be replace by annual limits of $2 million, and the motion to adopt the policy passed unanimously.

Tagged under , Charity, City, Greenhouse Ministries, Homeless, Murfreesboro, Panhandlers, Room At The Inn, Tommy Bragg

Member Opinions:

By: bota on 7/15/12
One topic that did not get discussed was can the City take any action against pan handling on private property (ie Walmart or the Avenue) without a complaint from the proprty owner? I am not clear on whether or not signs that prohibit panhandling must be placed to make the law enforceable. Maybe this will be brought up at the "workshop".

By: RAP71 on 7/16/12
This is the first city that I have ever visited or lived in that lets this kind of illegal activity persist. These people were rounded up and arrested in Myrtle Beach where I just moved from. No panhandling allowed! To anyone visiting Murfreesboro, this looks like a very bad place to live. Police at least needs to run these people off when ever they see them. I an disgusted with the city for letting this go on for so long.

By: had2t_mtsu_s12 on 7/19/12
Panhandling appears to be a HUGE issue in Murfreesboro. I have lived here only a short amount of time, and I have seen large amounts of panhandlers. I will agree that it does not reflect well on Murfreesboro as a city, because there are so many panhandlers spread throughout, not just occasionally, but everyday. It’s a shame that some people turn to panhandling in order to make a living even If they aren’t hurting, like the man who has 6 acres and a house, and is only using the money for lawn mower repair. There are some people out there that are unable to work, and really need money to survive. A big problem that people have found is not only that people use the money for things like TV’s and lawn mower repair, but alcohol and drugs as well. That’s why I think it is so important to donate to charities instead of giving to panhandlers. Murfreesboro police should definitely step it up and start to take action. If people need help that bad, they will go to a shelter. I know you can’t completely stop panhandling in a city, but it is SO bad in Murfreesboro it is ridiculous. The same people, week after week… even month after month? We need to DONATE to charities, NOT panhandlers!