After months of work and weeks of public input, a controversial ordinance regulating panhandling is set for first reading Tuesday in the Chattanooga City Council.
Council members Carol Berz and Erskine Oglesby Jr. have spearheaded the effort after hearing a growing number of constituent complaints about unruly beggars.
Police records show 457 panhandling calls throughout the city between Jan. 1, 2015, and March 14, 2018, involving trespassing, drug violations, disorderly conduct, drunkenness, assaults and suicide attempts. Of those, 361 resulted in contacts for social services, according to police.
Several council members hope the revised ordinance, if passed, will help protect people who are asked on the streets for money as well as those who are doing the asking, giving police a tool to connect panhandlers with social services.
“That’s one of the concerns: How do you get those folks the help they need?” Deputy City Attorney Phil Noblett told council members last week.