You can't hand out fliers or seek donations from a public roadway or median in Colonial Heights anymore.
This week, the City Council followed a similar path taken by the city of Richmond and Henrico and Hanover counties and approved an ordinance that now makes such soliciting illegal.
This year, two people with New Mexico addressees were arrested in June after soliciting donations from motorists along Temple Avenue allegedly for a church based in Florida.
After their arrests, Colonial Heights police Lt. William Anspach said that the men were wearing safety vests and carrying buckets asking drivers for money.
"They said that they were with a church group and collecting money for the hungry," Anspach said.
Since then, the Colonial Heights City Council has been working on stiffening ordinances against the soliciting of donations from roadways and medians in the city.
Part of the reason is the danger to those involved in the solicitation itself.
"They were stepping out into the roadway to collect money from the cars," Anspach said. "That's a busy intersection and they could have very easily been hit."
In other business, City Manager Thomas Mattis commended city staff for their performance during Hurricane Irene and the post-hurricane cleanup of the city. "The teamwork was exemplary," Mattis said.
In addition to the departments on the front lines, including the police, fire and public works, Mattis credited Mayor Scott Davis and the rest of council for having the foresight to prepare for such disasters during the budget planning process.
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