Panhandlers near the Interstate Highway 35/80 bridge over Merle Hay Road have caught the attention of Polk County and city officials.

People begging at the Merle Hay Road interchange is a problem for two suburbs - Urbandale and Johnston - as well as Polk County, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because all of them have jurisdiction over land in the area, said Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld.

Dierenfeld met with Urbandale Mayor Bob Andeweg and Polk County Supervisor E.J. Giovannetti last week to discuss the issue. "We see we clearly all have a piece of the problem and we all need to work on it," Dierenfeld said.

She said she has heard growing concerns about the location. A woman with her children in the car complained about one of the panhandlers urinating on the corner, she said.

There is no Polk County ordinance or state law that prohibits people from getting money from passers-by as long as the person is not impeding traffic or causing other problems, said Neil Shultz, recently retired chief of field headquarters for the Polk County sheriff's office.

Other Des Moines suburbs report little or no problem with panhandlers at interstate interchanges.

Clive has an ordinance against panhandling. Cities such as Ankeny, Altoona and Urbandale use their soliciting and door-to-door sales ordinances to disperse panhandlers. In Des Moines, police officers ask people to move on when there are complaints, Sgt. Misti Allison said.

Drivers at the Merle Hay Road interchange are prime targets for panhandlers, Shultz said. Motorists are stopped at the traffic lights there long enough to respond to the panhandlers.

"There are lots of misconceptions about these people," Shultz said, noting that not all of the people begging for money are homeless. Some of them "are in dire straits, and others have told me they panhandle to buy beer," he said.

Johnston police last month handed out citations for intoxication and littering to a couple of panhandlers near the interchange. Polk County sheriff's officials were called about a week ago to look into a report from one of the panhandlers about a dispute between two people who frequent the corner.

On one recent day, there were four people begging at three locations near the bridge.

Bill McGrann, 49, has lived in the nearby woods along Beaver Creek for about 11 months. His girlfriend, Betty Murphy, 47, has lived there for several months. Most of their money comes from holding up signs near the eastbound I-35/80 exit at Merle Hay Road.

The couple said they solicit enough for food, a few other items or to go to the movies. They sometimes buy alcohol with the money, they said.

McGrann said he can make $20 to $25 in about two hours some days; other days he can be there five hours and get no money. He said he doesn't think his actions cause any problems.

Andeweg, the Urbandale mayor, said he believes the situation creates a safety issue, particularly for motorists. Dierenfeld said she would like to see the efforts to stop panhandling extend beyond the interchange.

If officials take action only in one spot, "then we are simply pushing the problem to another community," she said.