HOUSTON -- A controversial proposal would identify registered sex offenders by having the curbs painted in front of where they live. However, many believe the idea is facing an uphill battle, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

Rev. Gilda Black wants the city to paint the curb in front of every sex offender's house to clearly identify him or her.

She presented the proposal to Houston City Council last summer after she learned a released rapist moved into the house behind her.

According to the DPS registry, Black's neighborhood is home to 32 registered sex offenders.

"If I had a sex offender next door to me, I would much rather know that he was there and take extra precautions for my child," she said.

But some of Black's neighbors have reservations about her proposal because of what it might do to property values.

Virnetter Wooten is all for keeping tabs on pedophiles, but she worries that putting up signs might punish everyone.

"Because that's going to bring the value of our property down. It's really going to hurt our neighborhood," she said.

There's also a concern that putting a sign on a sex offender's front curb could make him or her the target of vigilante violence.

"The scale in this case is tilted in the wrong direction. It's tilted in favor of the pedophile, and I'm saying to you, let us do something," Black said.

City Councilman Adrian Garcia said there is also the question of whether the city could enforce such an ordinance. He and other council members are still struggling to come up with a solution.

"From where she would like to see ordinance being placed to where we want to make sure we can effectively manage -- these are issues we're trying to put our arms around," he said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety maintains a sex offender registry online.

Visit https://records.txdps.state.tx.us for more information.