Pittsburgh City Council added a restriction on begging near entrances to places of worship to a new panhandling ordinance yesterday, then passed the bill unanimously.

Councilman William Peduto, who introduced the amendment, said people arriving for Mass at churches in some neighborhoods had been asked for money, and that in some cases panhandlers entered houses of worship and solicited money during services.

The legislation, shepherded to passage by Councilman Len Bodack, would ban anyone from asking passers-by for money between sunset and sunrise. It also bars solicitation at any time within 10 feet of street food vendors and bus stops, and within 25 feet of outdoor eating establishments, automated teller machines and lines of people waiting to buy tickets or enter an event.

Violators will be offered an evaluation by a social service provider, and repeat offenders would face fines, community service and, eventually, jail time.

Mayor Tom Murphy supports the bill, and it could become law within weeks.

"We think it's another tool that will allow us to manage Downtown for the benefit of everyone who uses Downtown," said Michael Edwards, executive director of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a prime mover behind the proposal.

Council also received legislation to merge the city and Allegheny County purchasing departments, and to allow the construction of a memorial on North Shore land by the World War II Veterans of Allegheny County Memorial Fund. Both pieces of legislation could come up for discussion and a tentative vote next Wednesday.