Colorado Springs is considering an ordinance that would prohibit soliciting for money in certain parts of the city, including downtown and the west side.

More than a dozen people, including several business owners, attended a meeting Tuesday at City Hall to learn more about the proposal and give the city feedback. Everyone who spoke said they supported the effort.

“It affects my business and it affects me personally when I’m working late and walking to my car a couple of blocks away at night and putting my credit cards in one pocket and my cash in a different pocket in case things don’t go well,” said Coleen Swanson, owner of Tinacious Photography on the corner of Tejon and Bijou streets, which is frequented by panhandlers.

Johnathan Shankland, manager of the Famous Steak House on North Tejon Street, said the people begging for money collectively damage Colorado Springs’ good reputation.

“The analogy that I would draw is that if had someone behaving in my restaurant in a way that upset a number of my other guests, I would ask them to leave because I think that their behavior is having a negative impact on a larger number of people,” he said.

Businessman Trevor Dierdorff agreed.

“I do think it’s a negative image for our community,” he said. “What I wouldn’t mind, though, is a guy in the corner shining shoes, a guy playing the guitar who sounds good and enhances the sound of our downtown.”

The City Council is scheduled to hear the proposal Monday and vote on it on first reading July 10. The council will hear public testimony July 10.

Steve Cox, the city’s chief of economic vitality and innovation, said people begging for money on street corners has a “detrimental impact” on the local community.

”People have stopped coming downtown or stopped going to the Red Rocks (Shopping Center) because of this behavior and then the retailer suffers,” he said.

“That’s really a driver in this is the negative economic impact that this has for the business owner in town. That’s huge here,” Cox said.

Cox said the City Attorneys’ Office is working on the language of the proposed ordinance. He said wants to make sure it does what it is supposed to do — “change people’s behavior” — and also withstand any legal challenges.

Mark Manyik Photo by