Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Event Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners weigh special‑event permit after local landowner asks to be grandfathered
Summary
Angela Dockery asked the Holmes County Board of County Commissioners to exempt her recurring rodeo from a new special‑event permit; commissioners said the ordinance applies only to events the committee expects to attract 500 or more people.
Angela Dockery, a landowner who operates events on privately owned property, asked the Holmes County Board of County Commissioners to consider a grandfather clause or exemption from a newly adopted special‑event permit for her rodeo.
Dockery said her rodeo is established and that last year it drew fewer than 100 attendees. She asked the commission to “grandfather” her property so she would not be required to complete the county’s lengthy special‑event application. “I would like for us all to be able to get together and talk about that again in the future, and especially before any more large events,” Dockery said.
Commissioners and staff explained that the ordinance’s current threshold was set by the events committee at 500 attendees; under that cutoff an event that does not advertise or expect 500 people would not require the permit. County staff and committee members discussed creating a shorter, one‑page notification form for smaller events so the county would have contact and safety information without requiring the full permit.
John (last name not stated during the exchange) said he would not entertain a motion to grandfather the event and that, in his view, the ordinance does not apply if an event is below the 500‑person threshold. Commissioners also discussed the role of EMS, the sheriff’s office and private security for larger events and noted the committee had consulted the health department, building department and other agencies while drafting the permit.
No formal vote was recorded to create a grandfather exemption. Commissioners voted earlier to adopt the special‑event ordinance with the 500‑person baseline set by the events committee; they indicated they would consider targeted edits — including a short notification form for small events — and that Dockery’s event, as described at the meeting, would not trigger the full permit because it is below the stated threshold.
The board asked staff to draft a simple notification or exemption form and return with recommended edits to the ordinance for future consideration.
