Just three weeks after putting a moratorium on check cashing facilities in the Downtown area, council members in outlying districts will get a chance to ban new check cashing facilities throughout the whole city.
Given the opinions of the majority of Councilmembers when the stores were banned in the Downtown area, it will likely pass again on Tuesday.
I can’t describe the situation in words better than the Honorable Val Lerch—who presided over that previous council meeting—on why banning check cashing facilities for a year is ridiculous.
Enjoy.
“I find ourselves again trying to regulate our people in our community, how they want to cash their checks…Again, I don’t think it’s the job of the Council to regulate how our community decides to spend our money. I would favor going after an education on why they shouldn’t use it, but if somebody wants to get a payday advance or cash their check at a place, it’s their decision. And maybe we should hand out a pamphlet that says—you stupid idiot, you shouldn’t do this—and educate that. But to regulate how people want to bank, how people want to spend their money, because we don’t think their smart enough to do it themselves, I have a great problem with that.”
– Councilman Val Lerch
Word.
The Council Meeting is Tuesday, 5 p.m. at City Hall.