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Paris council delays panhandling ordinance, asks staff to compile data
Summary
After public commenters urged caution, the Paris city council voted to delay drafting a panhandling ordinance and directed staff to compile police and dispatch data and explore whether existing laws can address specific unsafe or nuisance behaviors.
The Paris City Council on Jan. 27 debated whether to pursue a new city ordinance to restrict panhandling but decided to postpone any lawmaking and instead directed staff to compile a factual record before drafting rules.
Shelley Bridal, executive director of the Lamar County Human Resources Council and president of the Lamar County Homelessness Coalition, urged the council to pause and consider alternatives, saying the Salvation Army shelter needs sprinkler funding and warning that a hasty ordinance could further harm people experiencing homelessness. "I…
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