Commissioners delay vote on Co Square event policy after staff flags prohibition on political rallies for legal review
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Summary
A proposed policy and fee schedule for the county’s Co Square space was presented; it would allow revenue-generating uses after hours but contained a prohibition on political rallies endorsing specific candidates or parties. A staff member asked for legal review and the board held final approval until a June meeting.
County staff presented a proposed Co Square event policy and associated fee schedule intended to expand after-hours uses and generate revenue. The packet includes permitted uses, a pricing schedule and a recommended security-camera installation before full rollout.
One provision in the draft policy prohibits “political rallies or events endorsing specific candidates or parties.” A staff member (identified in the meeting transcript as Russell) told the board he would like to research the constitutional implications of that prohibition and fine-tune the provision before the board took final action. County Manager Tony Whitaker said funds are available in the current budget to pay for security cameras but recommended installing them before full implementation.
The board agreed to delay final approval and to revisit the policy at a June meeting to allow staff and the county attorney to review the political-rally language.
