FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Franklin could become the 2nd Midstate city to ban sales of The Contributor, a newspaper sold by the homeless. City leaders are considering an ordinance that would make it illegal for anyone on the sidewalk to accept payment from motorists. City leaders say this is not an attack on the vendors who sell The Contributor. They say it's a safety issue, and it doesn't matter whether you're collecting money for a school booster club or selling a newspaper, it should not be done in the middle of the street. Every day hundreds of the homeless hit the streets to sell the Contributor.

"Over the life of the paper 3.5 million papers have been distributed on sidewalks of Middle Tennessee," says Contributor Executive Director Tasha French.

Some cities like Franklin see the sidewalk vendors as a problem because the newspapers are primarily sold to drivers while they're behind the wheel.

"It would still let those transactions happen on city sidewalks, they just could not happen in the middle of the roadway," says Franklin City Administrator Eric Stuckey.

French says in 3 years homeless residents have earned $7 million through tips and sales of the Contributor, and vendors are trained on safety.

"Sidewalk to vehicle sales have been done safely for some time and this effects people's livelihood," says French.

During Tuesday night's public hearing, residents weighed in.

"The Contributor does a lot of good in giving these men and women an opportunity to put structure in life and earn commissions for selling the papers," says resident Clyde Redford.

City leaders say it's a safety issue. Others say it's a risk the homeless should be allowed to take.

"This is no different than any other job," says French. "All jobs might have a risk assigned with them."

"I feel like the safety risk would only be in someone's heart maybe breaking when they come to the realization that they're in the car and not the ones on the street," says Mary Ellen Redford.

Brentwood was the first city to pass an ordinance prohibiting the sale of merchandise from a public street. The Contributor and the ACLU filed suit and lost and are now appealing the ruling in federal court. Franklin won't vote on its ordinance until next month.City Leaders: Ordinance is Not an Attack on "The Contributor"