News Rack Permit Measure Deadlocked
The City Council on Monday deadlocked on a measure that would have required permits for all news racks on sidewalks and opaque racks for sexually explicit materials.
The council had tentatively approved the measure on Nov. 20 by a 3-0 vote with Councilmen Earl J. Prescott and John Kelly absent.
On Monday, Prescott and Kelly said that they favor a ban on news racks on sidewalks. Mayor Richard B. Edgar and Mayor Pro Tem Ursula E. Kennedy supported the ordinance. Ronald B. Hoesterey, who previously voted in favor of the new ordinance, has since moved from the city.
The city has had a ban on sidewalk news racks on the books since 1973, but it was not enforced until August, when Prescott discovered two racks selling adult publications with sexually explicit photos.
Enforcement of the ban has been suspended while the council has considered various options for regulating news racks.
The council will discuss the issue again at its next meeting.
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