Council approves ordinance allowing council members and certain employees to carry firearms at meetings, citing state statute

The Miami City Council on Oct. 7 approved a proposed ordinance to permit council members and certain designated city employees to carry firearms during city council meetings pursuant to state law.

City Attorney Misty presented the draft ordinance, saying it was intended to implement a recently passed statutory licensing provision. "They are asking to draft if we can draft up an ordinance license pursuant to levy collection that was passed in May that said that we could do that," she said. Later she summarized: "Our ordinance essentially says that whatever the statute allows, we want it."

Council members asked which employees beyond council members would be included; the discussion mentioned the prosecutor and the judge as possible examples, but the ordinance text will control the exact list. A motion to approve the draft ordinance passed at the meeting.

The council did not provide detailed roll-call language in the presentation; the meeting record shows the council moved and seconded the ordinance and recorded affirmative votes at the time of passage.

The ordinance is intended to mirror state statutory authority; the city attorney and council members said staff will circulate the draft language and that the implementing ordinance will track the statute's scope.