Aldermen: No more street fund raising

Solicitation of donations will no longer be allowed on Jackson's public streets.

In a unanimous vote, the Board of Aldermen established a policy banning the common fund raising practice at its meeting Monday night.

City administrator Jim Roach said the policy was established because of two reasons: safety for those soliciting and to help with traffic flow.

"Typically it's young children doing the fundraising," Roach said. The soliciting usually occurs at one Jackson's busiest intersections, South Hope and Main streets.

"Since most of the complaints listed on the city's recent survey were traffic flow issues, we decided this would be something to help that problem," Roach said.

Mayor Paul Sander said over the years, the council has struggled with limiting and regulating various groups who want to solicit for donations at the intersection.

"We feel this probably happens a little more often than we had envisioned it," Sander said. "At first it was only one or two groups a year doing this and now it's grown to almost 15."

This policy doesn't ban the solicitation of donations in private business parking lots, Sander said.

"We still hope that these groups will collect donations," Sander said. "But I think we all feel this situation has become a dangerous one."

Sander said he believes city residents won't be surprised at the policy.

"We have basically be telling folks for the past year that this will probably happen," he said. "It's a safety and fairness issue."

jfreeze@semissourian.com