Two of Sixth District Councilman Mike Archer’s most-talked-about bills were perfected at the St. Louis County Council’s Aug. 11 meeting: his bill regulating “aggressive solicitation,” albeit a substitute bill for the original, and his bill calling for the preparation of a feasibility study for repurposing the South County Center mall into a sports complex and event center.

The two bills will be up for final passage at the council’s Aug. 18 meeting, after The Call’s press time. Check back for the most up-to-date information.

Archer’s bill on solicitation has garnered attention in the months it’s been discussed from a myriad of groups and individuals with wide-ranging views. Some have said the ban will effectively criminalize poverty, due in part to its limit on soliciting between the hours of sunset and 9 a.m. or during inclement weather when visibility is limited, while others have said it will help with the safety of those soliciting, as there has been an increasing number of dangerous incidents involving solicitors getting injured by oncoming traffic.

As aforementioned, at the council’s Aug. 11 meeting, Archer introduced a substitute bill for the original, though the substance remained the same.

“The attorney described the changes as a one-word correction from City to County and some other formatting changes,” Tony Artman, Archer’s legislative assistant, said.

The substitute bill was perfected by a vote of 6-1, with District 5 Councilwoman Lisa Clancy as the lone dissenting vote.

Also perfected was Archer’s bill regarding a feasibility study at the South County Center mall, which has steadily seen declining foot traffic for years. The bill calls for setting apart the sum of up to $130,000 from the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission’s (CVC) fund for the study. The study is to be performed by the CVC, or its designee, for use by the Department of Planning. It was perfected by a unanimous vote with no additional conversation on the matter.

A similar resolution — not a bill, which has a different legislative process — was passed regarding the same study in December, though the study was not conducted despite the council’s support for the CVC to approve funding.