OREGON – The Oregon City Council has indefinitely postponed a new ordinance requiring permits for public demonstrations in the city. During the public comment portion of the meeting Tuesday night a number of residents spoke against proposed legislation. The ordinance would have mandated that anyone organizing such events must obtain a permit from the City Manager, with specific guidelines for applying and conditions for approval. The application process included detailed information about the demonstration, including expected attendance, location, and necessary city services.
Oregon Mayor Ken Williams said that he thought the city already had too many laws on the books.
“So I’ve always been not really in favor of adding more ordinances. So I don’t think we need another ordinance. So here’s what I’m going to suggest. I was going to go ahead and make a motion to postpone indefinitely. What that would do would be to, in essence, table it. But I can’t use the word table,” he said.
“I’ve got to use postpone, because it’s not an ordinance. It’s a discussion of an ordinance. And this would basically kill it.”
The council unanimously voted to end discussion on the matter.