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Napavine council adopts ordinance allowing expulsions, trespass warnings with First Amendment caveat
Summary
The council unanimously adopted Ordinance 677 to allow expulsions and trespass warnings aimed at conduct that makes staff feel unsafe; legal counsel and councilors emphasized respect for lawful expression by First Amendment auditors.
The Napavine City Council on March 10 adopted Ordinance 677, authorizing expulsions and trespass warnings for conduct that makes city staff feel unsafe. Councilor Ivan Wiediger moved the ordinance, Don Webster seconded, and the council voted 5-0 to adopt it.
Legal Counsel Jim Buzzard, attending online, emphasized the ordinance's limited focus. "The key word is respectful," Buzzard said, adding that the measure is not intended to bar lawful expression but to address behavior that threatens staff safety. Councilor Wiediger told colleagues he considered how interactions with so-called First Amendment auditors should be treated and said that, "if a First Amendment auditor is respectful this wouldn't affect them." The ordinance is aimed at situations where staff report feeling unsafe, the council said.
The council did not amend the ordinance during the meeting and took no additional direction to staff beyond adoption. The measure passed by a unanimous roll-call-style tally recorded as 5-0.
Next steps: the ordinance will be incorporated into city code and enforced according to existing procedures; the meeting record does not specify an effective date or an implementation schedule.
