If you’ve been wondering about something in your community, Ask The Times is your place to get answers. The following questions were submitted by readers and answered through the efforts of our news staff.

Why does Hall County Sheriff Department furnish a car and a deputy each Sunday for the Highlands United Methodist Church located on the Cleveland highway? It seems a waste of money.

Sgt. Kiley Sargent with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said off-duty deputies perform traffic control at several area churches, and those deputies are hired by the churches.

“Additionally if vehicles are used on site, the churches pay an additional amount to cover the cost of the operation of the vehicle,” he said.

Churches typically reach out to law enforcement to begin the partnership.

Sargent noted that traffic at some of the churches as services let out can cause congestion and even accidents.

“This practice has helped to make those areas in and around our larger churches safer and has reduced associated accidents, keeping our on-duty officers free to answer calls,” he said.

Why does the city/county allow people to collect money for various organizations at intersections? I am approached at many intersections by people with white buckets who want money. It looks like a scam to me; plus, it’s dangerous.

In Gainesville, this practice is not allowed, according to City Marshal Debbie Jones.

State law section 40-6-97 prohibits people from standing in a roadway to solicit contributions from those in vehicles, she said; they also cannot solicit a ride, employment or business.

However, the law does allow cities or counties to adopt ordinances to issue permits for charitable organizations to solicit contributions on streets and highways. Gainesville, though, does not have such an ordinances, Jones said.

Hall County on the other hand does.

According to Hall County code, section 5-80-130, asking for donations on streets and highways is permitted only for “nonprofit and/or charitable organizations with a current valid business license registered with Hall County (unless exempt under Hall County Business License Regulations).”

The practice is limited, though, to the hours of 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Monday through Fridays. And any one group is limited to five days each year for such solicitation.

Soliciting is also prohibited at the following intersections:
- Jesse Jewell and Limestone parkways
- Memorial Park Road and Atlanta Highway
- Memorial Park Road and Old Flowery Branch Road
- Hog Mountain Road and Spout Springs Road

One person for each intersecting point is allowed to solicit, and aggressive solicitation practices are not tolerated, according to the code.

If a complaint is received against anyone soliciting on a street or highway, all permits for the group may be revoked by the business license director following an investigation of the complaint.

“The code is designed to protect the safety of solicitors and motorists,” said Nikki Young, spokeswoman for the county.

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