The City Council reversed itself Monday and agreed to again consider restricting where sex offenders can live in the city.

The council will revisit the issue at its Aug. 13 meeting.

Last month, the council voted 4-2 to scrap a proposal requiring registered sex offenders convicted of crimes against minors to live a minimum distance -- such as 1,000 or 2,000 feet -- from a church, school, playground or other place where children typically congregate.

Council members, taking the advice of the city public safety director and others, said "safety zones" wouldn't protect children and might discourage offenders from registering.

Instead of distance requirements, the council voiced support for requiring police to notify neighborhoods when a registered sex offender moves nearby.

The council also supported upgrading the police Web site so that residents can find photos and other information about local sex offenders without having to access a state Web site.

Last month's decision was a defeat for Mayor Barton Scott, who supported a tough sex-offender ordinance and made it a campaign issue.

Scott, who was upset at the council vote at the time, gained two votes Monday night -- from Councilman Michael McSpadden, who was absent from the June 25 meeting, and Councilman Greg Kunasek, who had opposed the restrictions at that meeting.

Councilman Darryl Haynes also voted with the majority.

Councilmen Cory Hoffman and Larry Broseh voted against revisiting the issue, reiterating concerns that buffer zones don't work and would crowd sex offenders into only a few small areas, which could concern residents of those areas.

"I'm not pro-sexual-predator," Hoffman said. "But I don't want to enact laws that give people the feeling that, 'I live within 1,000 feet of a church or school, so my child is safe.'"

Kunasek said he wanted to look at smaller buffers, something less than 2,000 feet, to help avoid crowding areas with sex offenders. But he said he decided an ordinance is needed because 21 cities in the area have adopted distance restrictions for sex offenders. "I don't want to come across as laying out the welcome mat because we don't have something."