A contentious panhandling ordinance in Murray has temporarily been shelved in the wake of a national ruling.
In a city council meeting Thursday night, City Attorney Warren Hopkins said he recommends holding off on such legislation to prevent a clash with federal courts.
Currently, there are no restrictions on panhandling in Murray while surrounding Bowling Green, Hopkinsville and Paducah have all passed bans.
After learning of a recent federal interpretation of those rules that could deem them unconstitutional, Mayor Jack Rose says he agrees with the delay.
"As much as I'd like to see the ordinance, I'm not willing to put this city in jeopardy in terms of being a test case that could go all the way to the Supreme Court and cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars," Rose said.
Councilwoman Jane Shoemaker says it'd be a waste of resources to draft an ordinance before knowing the full implications it could have.
“There’s no point in having an ordinance if there's going to be complications and we can’t follow through,” Shoemaker said.
In other city council news, Murray Electric announced it will raise its power rates by about half a percent in order to combat rising overhead expenses and add a second substation. The new rates take effect after October first.
The council also discussed the future of Murray's 16th street. Rose says city engineers are planning to work closely with Murray State University to identify all possible scenarios for the road, which currently cuts through the MSU campus.
"At the end the day, the number one consideration always, in my book, has to be the safety of the students," Rose said.
Earlier this week, project engineers posted graphics of the potential modifications online seeking public opinion.
