The Indianapolis City-County Council will delay a public hearing for a proposal that would require individuals and organizations to register with the city for some larger-scale charitable work after aid groups criticized it for being harmful.
Proposal 256 would require a person or group intending to deliver food, clothing or other donations to at least 10 people in a public right-of-way or property to register with the Office of Public Health and Safety with at least 48 hours’ notice. It was packaged with Proposal 250, which would give OPHS money to purchase two public restrooms and cleaning services at Old City Hall and Babe Denney Park.
The hearing for both proposals is tentatively set for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 24.
The proposals were introduced to the full council July 11 and referred to the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, which will host the public hearing. The committee will then send the proposal back to the full council with either a do-pass or do-not-pass recommendation.
Proposal 256 garnered attention because it’s sponsored by three Democrats — President Vop Osili, Vice President Zach Adamson and Kristin Jones — and is similar to a failed proposal that Democrats rejected in 2020.
