St. Cloud City Council Tables Predatory Offender Ordinance

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud City Council voted six to one Monday night to table a proposal banning where level three predatory offenders can live because the ordinance put forth didn’t have enough teeth.

Level three predatory offenders are considered the most likely to reoffend. As it was written, it would have banned them from living within 1,000 feet of a school. Council President Jeff Georger was one of the no votes, telling KNSI News, “If we’re going to have an ordinance to deal with proximity issues with level three sex offenders, it should really go to the heart of where kids congregate.”

He feels any deal must include parks with playgrounds and splash pads, “We have to do everything we can to protect our most vulnerable. Is that far enough to go with parks and schools? I don’t know, but I think that’s a better start than just saying schools.”

City staff will revisit the issue and develop more options for the council to consider, including showing where offenders could live if they’re within the 1,000 foot buffer zone.

Other council members wanted other places included in the ordinance, such as limiting how close offenders can live to daycares, churches and areas where vulnerable adults gather. All those could be added to the proposal the next time it’s in front of the council, but there is no timetable for when the issue will be brought up again. Those we spoke with said they hope it will be ready within a month. In all, nearly 100 Minnesota communities have restrictions on where sex offenders can live.

Council member Karen Larson first introduced the idea during a work session in May after she learned two level three offenders moved across the street from an elementary school in St. Cloud in 2022.

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