Pamplico holds off on sagging pants ban
Published: August 18, 2008
Updated: August 19, 2008
PAMPLICO — Today could have been a literal day of belt-tightening in Pamplico, but pants can continue sagging legally as the town’s council takes some additional time to consider the issue.
A proposed ordinance banning sagging pants was up for second and final reading, but Mayor Gene Gainey said council tabled the issue tonight at the recommendation of town attorney Jimmy Epps.
“We’re not doing away with it, but we’re going to get a little more information on it before we get any deeper into this particular ordinance,” Gainey said.
Council on July 21 passed first reading of the ordinance, which would make it a misdemeanor to wear pants more than three inches below the hips thereby exposing skin or “intimate clothing.”
The style began in the 1990s, when it was made popular by hip-hop artists.
Pamplico modeled its ordinance after a similar one in Jasper County.
Jasper County Council announced last month, however, that it was delaying final action on its sagging pants ordinance amid questions of legality and enforcement, according to The Associated Press.
In Pamplico, the town’s police would be responsible for enforcing such a ban, Pamplico Police Chief Steve Bowen said last month.
Council tonigt also unanimously approved a five-year lease agreement for a former Main Street bank where the town intends to place its police department and town judge’s office. The lease, with The Citizens Bank, will cost the town $100 over five years, Gainey said.
Gainey also suggested moving the public works department into the current police department headquarters. Council agreed to consider ways to use the town’s available space so that employees will have adequate room as well as areas for storage of old documents.
In other business, the council:
- Unanimously approved second and final reading of a renewed franchise agreement for telephone service by Verizon.
- Unanimously approved second and final reading of a telecommunications right-of-way maintenance agreement that aims to protect the town if its utilities are damaged by contractors.
- Unanimously approved a joint property tax collection agreement with Florence County.
Reader Reactions
This is a wise decision on Pamplico Town Council’s part. The Council should carefully consider the laws that currently exist to address this issue, such as indecent exposure, which was amended in 2006 to state that it is unlawful for a person to wilfully, maliciously, and indecently exposure his person in a public place, on property of others, or to the view of any person on a street or highway.
This adequately covers any concerns that Pamplico might ever have concerning how any given person chooses to wear his clothes.
Once upon a time in the old South, a person wearing his trousers slung low enough to expose his BVDs might have been cause for an old fashioned butt whupping, but we’re living in the new South.
So, unless one of those Pamplico boys or girls wilfully, maliciously, and indecently exposes his/her person while wearing those low slung trousers, Pamplico Town Council needs to accept their ridiculous attire.
Pamplico might, however, want to point out to its citizens that a conviction for indecent exposure could result in a court ordering the convicted person to register as a sex offender.
People might just think twice about how much of their body they decide to expose with their ridiculous attire.
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