Final OK for Ann Arbor Panhandling Law

At its April 19, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council gave final approval to a revision to the city’s code on disorderly conduct – the part dealing with solicitation, which is more commonly known as panhandling.

The revised ordinance prohibits panhandling in one generally-defined additional location (in or within 12 feet of a public alley) and one specific location (within 12 feet of the downtown location of the Ann Arbor District Library.) [.pdf of revisions to existing ordinance as they were drafted at the start of the April 19, 2011 meeting] Sabra Briere (Ward 1) stressed that the ordinance change is just one of three “legs in the stool,” the others being education and community commitment.

The proposal to revise the law grew out of a street outreach task force, which was appointed at the council’s Sept. 20, 2010 meeting and charged with developing cost-effective recommendations for addressing the issue of downtown panhandling and the needs of those who panhandle. [Previous Chronicle coverage: "Ann Arbor Task Force Consults Panhandlers"]

At the council’s March 21, 2011 meeting, the council received a report from two members of the task force – Maggie Ladd, executive director of the South University Area Association, and Charles Coleman, a project coordinator with Dawn Farm. A recommendation contained in the report included revising the city’s ordinance on solicitation to prohibit panhandling in additional locations. [.pdf of street outreach task force report]

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall located at 301 E. Huron St. A more detailed report will follow: [link]