Marana Town Council members voted unanimously at the May 20 council meeting to ban the sale of newspapers from intersection medians.
The new ordinance would prohibit anyone from conducting business or soliciting contributions from motorists waiting at the intersections.
The item had been tabled since February, where it was decided that there needed to be some sort of plan the help the street hawkers, many of them homeless.
Marana officials plan to deal with the news hawkers through a three-pronged outreach: pass the safety ordinance, launch a public awareness campaign, and contact every newspaper seller on the median to aid them in finding help and employment.
The ordinance will go into effect on June 20, violation of which is a class 3 misdemeanor.
Similar ordinances banning median sales exist in Tucson and Oro Valley, but not Pima County, where hawkers can still operate.
The idea to ban the news hawkers was originally floated in November at a Marana Chamber of Commerce meeting. Chamber members were concerned that the hawkers had a negative impact on business and traffic as well as causing a safety hazard.
