Council approves first-read ordinances on Bloomin' Festival rules and intoxicated open-carry restriction

The Town of Nashville council on March 4 voted to adopt, on first consideration and subject to a second-meeting confirmation vote, three public-safety ordinances advanced by the police department.

Lieutenant Shockley presented three draft ordinances that the town attorney had reviewed: (1) a special-event restriction prohibiting animals within the defined Bloomin' Festival boundaries (the town said the restriction would be specific to the Bloomin' Festival, not a townwide ban on dogs at other events); (2) a prohibition on full face coverings at the Bloomin' Festival, with explicit exceptions for medical masks; and (3) a year-round prohibition on carrying a firearm while intoxicated (above the 0.08 BAC state standard) to address a perceived enforcement gap for visibly intoxicated open carriers.

Council members discussed whether the face-covering prohibition language should be event-specific or apply to all festivals/events; staff said the intent in the draft was to limit the rule to the Bloomin' Festival. Lieutenant Shockley said the firearm provision is intended for cases where an officer encounters a visibly intoxicated person openly carrying a firearm and noted other jurisdictions, such as Roanoke Rapids, have adopted similar language.

A motion to adopt the ordinances for first consideration and return for confirmation at a second meeting passed by voice vote. The ordinances were presented as public-safety measures tied to festival management and everyday enforcement of open-carry while intoxicated; the council did not finalize ordinance text changes at the meeting and directed staff to return with the confirmed language at the subsequent meeting.