Columbus councilmen have unanimously approved an ordinance regulating the leasing of property for large events where alcohol is served.
The new ordinance has been in the works since June, when city leaders began working on a draft to strengthen safety measures at such gatherings, particularly those with a history of criminal behavior.
Councilmen declared an emergency, which means the ordinance is in effect immediately.
Everybody who owns a building that they lease out for events where at least 100 people are expected to attend and alcohol will be sold are now be required to submit an application for a permit beforehand. They must provide the names of the owners, as well as those who will be responsible for ensuring safety.
They must give the date and time for the event and have one security guard in place for every 50 people expected to attend. Owners have to provide a certificate of insurance for at least $250,000 of liability insurance, as well as a copy of the lease agreement they have with the person hosting the event.
During the event, city police and fire personnel will be free to enter at any time in order to ensure safety and no underage drinking.
Council attorney Jeff Turnage said penalties for violation of the ordinance include not being granted permission to host future events. If an application is incomplete, the owner can be denied the permit, and future permits can be denied if officials find there has been a substantial violation in the terms of the permit or if the number of people in attendance exceed how many the permit stated were expected.
Violators can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $500 for first offenses and $1,000 for second and subsequent violations.
Ward 2 councilman Joseph Mickens referenced a shooting in May at the Columbus Fairgrounds that killed a 21-year-old and injured another attendee at a party. Mickens then asked Columbus Police Chief Tony Carleton how law enforcement would enforce the new law.
“Who is going to be there to tell me if an 18- or 16-year-old is coming into the building or not?” Mickens asked. “When they pull up in their car, who’s going to be checking IDs?”
Turnage noted that the required permit notifies city policemen that there will be an event where alcohol will be consumed.
“(Policemen) can send somebody in randomly at all times during the event and check IDs,” Turnage said. “If they find somebody in violation, they can shut the whole thing down.”
Mickens suggested setting up roadblocks near each events, to which Carleton said Columbus Police Department has used numerous roadblocks throughout the city in recent months.
“Before this, if there was an event happening at the Fairgrounds or some other place, they’re not reporting it at all, so we would just get a call to show up,” Carleton said. “This will help give us some teeth to go inside there and make sure they’re abiding by the ordinance. This doesn’t allow us to stop a certain age person from coming to a party, but if we find that person is under age and consuming alcohol, then we can certainly shut it down.”
Mayor Robert Smith said collaboration between city leaders and law enforcement was needed to prevent further occurrences like the Fairgrounds incident.
“I think it will be a first step as far as trying to deter some of the crime that has taken place here, especially at one or two places in particular,” Smith said.
Mickens voiced support for more controls on large gatherings where alcohol is sold.
“People are hurting,” Mickens said. “We’re losing our young kids. We need to do something.”
In other business:
■ The council passed an amendment to elected official and employee per diem travel pay policy. The amendment requires an employee or official who travels to produce receipts within 10 days of returning from a trip or be forced to pay for the trip out of their pockets. City policy allows employees and officials to receive per diem pay in advance of a trip;
■ The council amended the budget for the current fiscal year to pay for $33,452 in unforeseen expenditures with funds initially set aside for renovating City Hall. The city saw cost overruns of $71,200 for liability insurance renewal, $25,000 for paving the Fourth Street South intersection, $45,000 for engineering service costs, $9,009 on refunds of fines and forfeitures and $4,107 for a public address system for Fire Station No. 1. It also received an unexpected $49,664, which was a rebate for installing energy efficient lighting in city buildings. Renovation of City Hall won’t begin until the next fiscal year, which freed up the money set aside for it this year to make up for shortfalls. The current fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
■ The council approved an addendum to the city’s master services agreement with project managing firm J5 Broaddus for its debris pickup and monitoring services after the April 28 tornado. The council was notified in June that the city was at risk of losing about $35,000 in storm cleanup reimbursement because it did not seek proposals from multiple providers of those services before starting the work. The addendum addresses concerns voiced by Federal Emergency Management Agency officials regarding that process and could result in the city receiving what was at risk, chief administrative officer David Armstrong said.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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