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Lancaster City Council adopts 100-foot buffer at entrances to worship sites, health care facilities and schools
Summary
The Lancaster City Council unanimously passed an ordinance creating a 100-foot protected buffer at entrances and exits to places of worship, health care facilities and schools to reduce disruptive protest activity and preserve safe access, councilmembers said.
The Lancaster City Council on an up-or-down vote adopted an ordinance establishing a 100-foot protected buffer at entrances and exits to places of worship, health care facilities and schools to reduce disruptive protesting and maintain safe access.
City staff told the council the ordinance responds to several reports over recent months of “disruptive protesting” near those establishments and is meant to balance public safety and free-speech rights. "The proposed ordinance aims to address and mitigate this issue while maintaining and balancing the rights of free speech," a city staff member said during the staff report.
Daniel Jessup, executive pastor of operations at Lancaster Baptist Church, told the council he and his congregation support the measure and thanked the city for drafting the ordinance. "We appreciate all the effort that's been put into that," Jessup said, adding that he hopes the measure will keep Fortieth Street safe for members and visitors.
A councilmember moved to approve the ordinance and a second followed; the measure passed unanimously. No amendments or reservations were recorded in the meeting transcript.
Council discussion before the vote was limited on the public record to the staff presentation and the two public speakers who addressed the item; staff said it recommended adoption in the staff report and made itself available for questions.
The ordinance establishes the buffer zone at entrances and exits and directs staff to implement the ordinance as described in the staff report. The transcript does not record citations to state or federal statutes or the ordinance number on first reading, nor does it record a published effective date.
The council vote was recorded on the record as unanimous. The staff report and proponents emphasized safety for congregants, health-care patients and school visitors as the primary purpose. The transcript does not record a legal challenge, enforcement protocol specifics, or whether temporary signage or a public-education campaign will accompany implementation.
City staff said they were available for questions and recommended adoption in the staff report; the council approved the ordinance that same evening.
The council did not provide an implementation timeline during the meeting. Additional details on enforcement, ordinance text, effective date and any implementing regulations were not specified in the public remarks recorded in the transcript.
