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City Attorney presents draft public-gathering ordinance; council moves proposal toward public hearing
Summary
Marietta officials reviewed a draft ordinance to regulate public gatherings and protests citywide. The city attorney said the draft is modeled on a Tennessee ordinance defended in court; council voted to advance the item toward the agenda work session and the first public hearing in October.
Marietta City Council reviewed a draft ordinance to regulate public gatherings, demonstrations and recurring public-expression events at a committee meeting after City Attorney Bill Pinto presented the document and solicited council feedback.
The ordinance would require a permit for gatherings that meet defined criteria, set content-neutral time, place and manner rules, and allow the city manager or designee to impose conditions on permits based on anticipated public-safety needs. Pinto said the draft draws on a model ordinance from Franklin, Tennessee, that has been litigated and defended, and that the draft is intended to give city staff clearer tools to handle recurring or unannounced demonstrations across the city—not only on Marietta Square.
The draft defines a “public gathering event” by a set of thresholds (including a minimum group size…
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