Homeless people and vagrants passing through Maggie Valley won’t be able to panhandle or camp out in town parks anymore following a pair of ordinances passed by the town board this month. One ordinance bans panhandling within town limits. Another bans overnight camping in public parks or along greenways. The pair of ordinances were put in place before summer, when the homeless population in Haywood County tends to increase, officials said. Town leaders feared panhandling could be deterimental to the town’s tourism-based economy.
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