Raleigh City Council Deals With Number Of Items On Agenda

Raleigh City Council

dealt with a number of items on its agenda Tuesday.

Councilmembers got an earful on the subject of

predatory towing

in downtown Raleigh.

Mayor Charles Meeker wants to ban towing downtown from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., saying the ban will make downtown a friendlier place to visit.

Some downtown business owners say they are just protecting their property, while towing companies say they are providing a service and a ban could put them out of business.

This proposed ordinance would have exceptions. Some councilmembers want to study the issue further and is expected to come up in committee next month.

The City Council also decided not to make a move on Raleigh's pilot

garbage collection program

.

Instead, council members scheduled a meeting for April 13, when they will hear from a special committee about what would be the best change for the city.

In March, the council ended the once-a-week, curbside pickup plan after people complained, even though officials claim the new plan would save the city millions of dollars.

The city council also approved the final permit for a scaled-down version of St. Augustine's College's

proposed stadium

.

The council approved plans for a 2,500-seat football stadium plan two weeks ago. College officials said they wanted a 5,000-seat stadium.

Dianne Suber, president of St. Augustine's College, said she is happy to get the stadium. Under the agreement, the school can revisit the seating capacity within the next two years.

Council members also heard public feedback about the wording of a new mission statement from the city's human relations committee that includes

sexual orientation

as a protected right. The current city code protects homosexuals from discrimination.

After hearing from dozens of people, the council

voted 5-3 to support

the new mission statement.

and

John Bachman