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Oxford to delay parade and assembly ordinance amendments for more public input
Summary
Chief McCutcheon presented proposed amendments to regulate large gatherings near the downtown Pocket Park; the Board agreed to push the first reading to May to allow staff to research public comments and return a clean draft for formal readings and public hearings.
City police and events staff presented changes to Article 20 of the municipal code that would clarify how the city manages parades, public assemblies and special events near the downtown Pocket Park.
Chief McCutcheon (speaker 6) said the proposed amendments respond to safety concerns and repeated traffic and access problems when assemblies reach ‘‘critical mass’’ at the Pocket Park and nearby sidewalks. "Our intent in making these changes is not to limit the expression on or near the square, but instead it's intended to tailor our ordinance to... allow us the ability to make determinations when we feel that the size of the assembly meets critical mass and will give us the opportunity to move those to other publicly accessible places," Chief McCutcheon said.
Staff told the Board they had received comments on the draft in recent days and asked to postpone the first reading until the Board’s first meeting in May so staff can research concerns and return a revised, clean version. The board agreed to add the item to the May agenda with a first reading, followed by a second reading and public hearing and a possible third reading.
Council members asked staff to include historical counts of how many assemblies would meet the proposed threshold so the Board could review how often the new rule might apply. No final ordinance was adopted at the April meeting; the item was deferred for further outreach and drafting.
