Jackson officials may limit collecting at intersection

Commuters who pass through Jackson have helped a youth baseball team go to a Midwest Regional Tournament in Boonville.

They've helped raise money for cancer research. They raised money for school athletics.

By dropping bills and change into buckets at Hope and Main streets, commuters have paid thousands of dollars to worthwhile activities and organizations.

But there has to be a limit, city leaders say. They contend motorists will soon become agitated if they see organizations every week asking for handouts at Jackson's busiest four-way stop. Plus, even though the city has allowed the solicitation for more than a year, they say they worry about safety issues.

City aldermen discussed donation solicitation restrictions at Monday night's study session. City administrator Jim Roach, after much discussion among city staff members, recommended that the board ban the activity altogether at the beginning of next year.

The aldermen did not discuss the issue Monday night. Mayor Paul Sander said the council needed to let the recommendation "soak in" before deciding anything.

After the meeting, Alderman David Reiminger said he thought the practice of standing in the intersection was a safety concern.

"I think we've allowed it because of what they were raising money for," Reiminger said. "They're always good causes. I never really looked at it as a serious safety issue before, but all it would take is one accident and it gets very serious."

Roach also said he was concerned about where the council would draw the line. The council has not turned down a request yet.

"Who do we pick and choose?" he asked.

Roach and city attorney Tom Ludwig said they would be willing to come back with another recommendation if the council wanted the solicitation to continue. The board had previously discussed allowing one organization to solicit per quarter.

The council has officially voted to allow four solicitations in the past year, although it has unofficially granted permission in study sessions if the group was planning to collect money before the next official meeting.

Mike Eftink, the assistant coach of last summer's 11-year-old Cal Ripken team, said the Little League team raised roughly $2,500 by standing at the intersection and asking for donations. He said some of the players' parents could not afford to go to the tournament, which required the team to stay at hotels.

He said he sees where the city should control it to some extend, but "I'd hate to see them do away with it completely," he said. "We stood at the intersection and waited for people to roll down their window; we didn't stick a bucket up to their window. It really helped the team."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635