University of Wisconsin student Adam Busch believes Madison is a friendly community, a vulnerability often taken for granted by panhandlers.

“Most Madison panhandlers are from the South or California, looking for a liberal community to exploit,” he said.

Following a confrontation with an aggressive panhandler, Busch, student representative to Madison’s Downtown Coordinating Committee, proposed a voucher system to the committee last week which would allow those wishing to provide assistance to panhandlers to give coupons valid for purchase of food and non-alcoholic beverages, relieving tension between Madison residents and panhandlers.

Busch also cited the cosmetic unpleasantness of the presence of a large number of panhandlers in Madison.

“It doesn’t look good for businesses or the university,” Busch said.

Busch’s proposal comes three weeks before a scheduled meeting Nov. 11 of a committee Mayor Sue Bauman appointed to address the issue of panhandlers on State Street.

City officials, including Bauman; Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4; Madison Police Chief Richard Williams; Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Inc. and Enis Ragland, Bauman’s chief of staff, met Sept. 6 to discuss possible remedies to State Street’s panhandling problem.

Lt. Stephanie Bradley Wilson of the Madison Police Department emphasized that not all panhandlers are viewed by the police as a threat to public safety.

“Panhandling is not illegal at all in Madison,” Wilson said. “It’s the aggressive panhandling in the area that gives cause for arrest.”

Downtown Coordinating Committee member and Laundry 101 owner Zach Brandon believes that while the voucher system is incapable of completely remedying the issue of panhandling, it might help the police to deal better with it.

“It saves a lot of police force and time without [the] city having to put 40 officers on the street,” Brandon said.

Verveer said he sees promise in Busch’s proposal, but is concerned about potential logistical problems arising from its implementation.

“I think it is definitely an idea worth exploring further. I am really excited he has put a lot of work into it,” Verveer said. “But there are definitely a lot of details that still need to be worked out, such as the potential selling of vouchers on the black market and actually convincing businesses to participate in the program.”

Verveer also noted that some committee members expressed concern the voucher for foods system might encourage more panhandling.

Brandon also expressed concern that panhandlers might alter their behavior to avoid the intended objectives of the program

“We’re concerned this is going to start a whole different type of panhandling,” Brandon said.