Youngstown council guts anti-loitering law, review charter ballot proposals

YOUNGSTOWN

City council gutted a proposed anti-loitering ordinance so much that it no longer would make loitering illegal.

Council’s safety committee agreed today to recommend a scaled-down version of the proposal that caused some controversy as well as an objection from the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.

Council will vote on the proposal at an Aug. 17 meeting.

Also tonight, council met to discuss seven recommendations from the charter review commission for the Nov. 8 election ballot.

Council informally agreed to put three on the ballot. The proposals are “housekeeping” measures, said Christopher Travers, commission chairman.

The three would: delete a $12 meeting penalty for council members, which hasn’t been enforced; eliminate outdated references to disbursing public money by checks only, which the city also doesn’t follow; and remove a reference to appointing a member of the abolished park and recreation commission to serve on the planning commission, which already is being done.

Council rejected today a charter review commission recommendation to change the word “will” to “shall” when it comes to having the commission convene every four years.

Three other proposals will be discussed at a Monday meeting.

For the complete story, read Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com