A proposed

city ordinance to eject rowdy persons from City Council meetings if necessary

has been deep-sixed by Peachtree City council members.

City Attorney

Rick Lindsey recommended the ordinance, which would allow the mayor to

declare a person in contempt of council if they disrupt a meeting. In

those cases, the offending person or persons could be ejected from the

council meeting.

The contempt

ordinance was one of several Lindsey presented to council Thursday night

which would coincide with the revised city charter council is expected

to approve. The final vote on the charter and ordinances was delayed two

more weeks at the request of Councilwoman Carol Fritz, who said she would

like some extra time to go over the material.

Two new ordinances

were added to the slate Thursday by Lindsey which allow council to appoint

the police chief and the fire chief upon a recommendation by the city

manager. Several council members indicated at the previous meeting that

they would like to have that obligation.

In agreeing

to "can" the contempt ordinance, several council members indicated

such penalties were unnecessary.

Councilwoman

Annie McMenamin said if someone ever became out of control in a meeting,

it could be cumbersome for the mayor to determine if someone is in violation

of the ordinance.

Mayor Bob Lenox

said in his nearly 10 years as mayor, he has never asked anyone to leave

a meeting. If he had to, he would ask politely once before summoning police

to escort the person out, Lenox added.

Councilman

Steve Rapson said the amount of latitude given to members of the public

when addressing council is "one of the things that makes this a great

city."

The ordinance

would have allowed the mayor to eject any person who:

Disrupts a

meeting to the point that council could not conduct the meeting;

Uses fighting

words directed at anyone in attendance at the meeting;

Uses violent

physical force against another person at the meeting, or

Threatens

future harm to anyone in attendance at the meeting.

Back

to News Home Page | Back

to the top of the page