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Council adopts expanded DORA ordinance after residents voice safety and policing concerns
Summary
After three residents raised concerns about underage drinking, policing, parking and neighborhood impacts, Amherst City Council voted to adopt an amended ordinance (O2624) expanding the city's Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) to additional days and hours under Ohio law.
The Amherst City Council on June 22 adopted Ordinance O2624 to amend Ordinance 23‑29 and establish operational days and hours for a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) under Ohio Code section 4301.82. The ordinance was adopted after a public comment period and council debate.
Three residents spoke during the public‑comment portion of the DORA item. Linda Gatz (speaker 9), who said she has lived in Amherst more than 25 years, opposed extending the current ordinance from event‑based use to three days per week year‑round, saying it would encourage bad behavior and raise policing and cleanup costs: “Will other programs have to be cut to pay for police overtime and cleanup?” she asked. Christine Berman (speaker 10), who said she has been an Amherst resident for 79 years, said the town should not “be known as the drinking center of the world.” Dave Rice (speaker 3), who identified himself as a long‑time teacher and Amherst resident, cited concerns about youth drinking and asked how the city would police and provide activities for visitors rather than leaving them to “just drink and kind of hang out.”
On the council floor several members reiterated concerns raised by residents. A council member (speaker 8) urged the ordinance go three readings and said many residents did not know what a DORA entails; he raised worries about preferential treatment for businesses inside the DORA and pedestrian safety where the area is not cordoned from traffic. Another member (speaker 6) said he would oppose the expansion, calling the DORA acronym a euphemism for alcohol sales and siding with residents’ child‑safety concerns.
Following discussion the council voted to adopt the ordinance. The clerk recorded the ordinance number as O2624. Council also noted the administration will prepare signage, update the city website and work with Main Street to provide public information and QR code updates over the next 30 days to implement the new DORA schedule.
The transcript records residents’ claims about policing and costs and council members’ safety concerns; the ordinance as adopted sets city policy under the cited Ohio Code section. Implementation steps and a 30‑day administrative window were described by the mayor.
