Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge ban on foot traffic through service alleys as council weighs committee review
Summary
Speakers at North College Hill’s May 4 council meeting urged an ordinance to limit pedestrian access to service alleys to curb dumping, tagging and unsafe youth gatherings; council members referred the idea to City Community Development & Recreation and Public Safety committees for follow-up.
Miss V, a community worker who said she is "commonly known by Miss V," told the council the alley behind the bakery between Galbraith and Betts (referred to in testimony as Alley B and Alley 2) suffers "unsanitary and unsafe conditions" including illegal dumping, tagging, fights and at least one robbery she described as years old.
"I use it to leverage my property taxes and I win," Miss V said, describing repeated break‑in attempts at her property and pallets, sofas and other debris stacked in the alley. She asked the city to consider "an ordinance to disallow usage of the alley — no pedestrian traffic" and to coordinate camera coverage with nearby businesses.
City Administrator (administration) staff answered that the online "Report a Concern" tool had routed the complaint to Public Works and advised residents to call the police nonemergency number for problems requiring immediate enforcement. The administrator said the city had provided a reference number when the complaint was filed and that Public Works and code enforcement were involved.
Councilmember Kathy Cureton, who identified herself as chair of the Public Safety committee, said the council has sought proactive steps with the police department and reminded the public that North College Hill enacted a daytime curfew last September. She urged using neighborhood watches and better communication with the police to identify "hot points" and bring partners and programming to the area.
The mayor added that the curfew and school scheduling affect how visible youth are in alleys and streets and suggested the issue should be discussed in committee. Several members recommended that the matter be considered jointly by City Community Development & Recreation (CCDR) and Public Safety so legal, enforcement and community development angles can be coordinated.
Council did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; instead members agreed to place the idea on committee agendas, with staff and the police to provide legal and operational guidance. Administration said some alley matters (for example, closing a public street) could raise legal and enforcement challenges, and the law director indicated he would need to review whether a public-street closure or ban on pedestrian traffic would be permissible and enforceable.
Next steps: council members asked staff to schedule the topic for committee review and to return with legal opinion, recommended enforcement mechanisms, and possible signage or targeted code‑enforcement options before drafting ordinance language.
