Hanover sets hearing on possible panhandling ban

Hanover County officials say they're catching the overflow of panhandlers who can no longer operate on the streets of Henrico County.

Hanover's Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to have a public hearing Oct. 14 on an ordinance that would prohibit individuals on public roads and highways from selling goods, soliciting or distributing literature.

Individuals still would be allowed to stand in a median with a sign, as long as they don't approach vehicles.

County Attorney Sterling E. Rives III told the board that areas such as Pole Green Road and U.S. 1 are attracting solicitors, particularly during peak commuting hours. He said panhandling disrupts traffic and poses safety problems for drivers and the solicitors.

He added that some local business owners are afraid panhandlers will scare away their customers.

Last August, Henrico County leaders passed an ordinance that prohibits people from standing in roadways, shoulders or medians to solicit contributions, distribute handbills, or sell merchandise to drivers or passengers in vehicles. Richmond considered a no-panhandling ordinance but dropped the idea in April.

If Hanover passed a no-panhandling ordinance, it would not apply to streets within the town of Ashland.

Board Vice Chairman G.E. "Ed" Via said the ordinance is meant to keep people safe, though it could stop activities such as high school students seeking donations for school events and fire personnel asking for donations.

When there are people walking among moving cars, "it's only going to take one person not paying attention" for someone get hurt, Via said. While some groups may think it's unfair, "I think it's the safe thing to do."

Also yesterday, the board heard a report on the county's animal shelter after hearing from a resident last month whose dog was euthanized there.

Teresa Jacobsen told the board last month that her dog, Hershey, had been euthanized July 20 after spending 10 days at the county animal shelter. The 13-year-old black Labrador had escaped from her yard July 4 after being scared by fireworks.

Jacobsen said at last month's board meeting that she called the shelter regularly to check to see if her dog was there, but was never told it had been brought to the shelter.

Jim P. Taylor, acting assistant county administrator, said animal control officials handled the case appropriately, and even allowed the dog to remain there five days longer than then the five-day requirement for stray animals with no identification.

He also said, however, that there is room for improvement when it comes to identifying and communicating with the public about lost animals.

Among the recommendations:

• create a system that allows field officers to check a database of lost animals immediately upon finding an animal, so that it could potentially be taken home rather than being brought to the shelter;

• provide laptops to field officers so they can search databases when they find a stray animal;

• create an e-mail alert system that sends alerts to field officers when a report is made about an animal;

• shorten the time it takes to post pictures of animals to the county's searchable database; and

• perform identification procedures prior to impounding, releasing, adopting or euthanizing an animal.

Jacobsen attended yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting and spoke to the board after hearing the report. While she agreed with the recommendations, she said she still felt her case was mishandled.

Jacobsen also took issue with the lag time to get photos posted. Her dog wound up at the shelter July 10, and its photo was posted on the county's Web site for stray animals on July 15 -- the same amount of time the shelter is required to keep the dog.

"What good is that if it takes five days to get their picture out there?" she asked.

Contact Holly Prestidge at (804) 649-6945 or .