Neosho City Council rejects new COVID ordinance, repeals current one
Neosho City Council rejects new COVID ordinance, repeals current one
By Joe Hadsall | Digital Editor Jul 9, 2020 Updated Jul 9, 2020
https://www.joplinglobe.com/coronavi...s-current-one/
http://christian-identity.net/forum/...1537#post21537
http://whitenationalist.org/forum/sh...1537#post21537
Instead of adjusting its current COVID-19 ordinance, the Neosho City Council removed it completely.
"We can go back to normal life in Neosho," said Mayor Carmin Allen.
With 4-0 votes, council members removed sections that called for adjustments to the current ordinance, leaving alone a section that repealed the city's existing ordinance. Councilman William Doubek was excused as absent.
More than 130 people attended the special meeting, held Thursday at the Neosho Civic Auditorium.
Before members of the public spoke, the council expressed support for an amendment to the ordinance that allowed churches to host their full capacity allowed by building and fire codes.
That did not stave off criticism from people who spoke against passing the ordinance, saying that it was too much of an intrusion of government into private lives. More than 20 people spoke during the meeting, all of them asking for the council to vote against it. One person, who did not attend, had their statement in favor of the ordinance read by City Clerk Cheyenne Wright.
"Across the country, ordinances desire to put churches on the same level as theaters and bowling alleys," said Jeremie Bridges, pastor of Canopy Christian Fellowship. "The First Amendment allows free exercise of religion, and you have no right to limit that. The only acceptable limit is no limit."
Todd Decker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Neosho, said that the halting of services has taken a toll on his congregation, and that further limits would continue that damage.
"We have been good neighbors. We have canceled sports and activities," Decker said. "But the damage is becoming evident. We see it in our children and families. Our people need to gather for worship, and not be prohibited from that."
Decker also called on churches to exercise caution and social distancing during those services.
Members also criticized the city's process over the last few days. The ordinance was to have been discussed during the council's Tuesday meeting, but the ordinance up for discussion did not contain the allowance for churches. The city posted a statement on its Facebook page apologizing for the error.
A crowd of more than 50 turned out to Tuesday's meeting, presumably over the omission of churches. Allen said that instead of amending the ordinance during Tuesday's meeting, Thursday's special session was called and held in a bigger venue to allow more people to attend and speak.
A few of the speakers called for the mayor and others to resign over the situation. Many in the crowd, who were not wearing masks, applauded after each presentation against the ordinance. Some of the speakers included former mayors, such as State Rep. Ben Baker and Charles Collinsworth.
The ordinance would have updated the city's policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the following ways:
• Businesses and organizations that own buildings open to the public would have their occupancy capped at 50% of their regular occupancy specified by fire and building codes. Educational institutions and day care centers are exempt from this provision. (An amendment earlier approved by the council added churches to this section.)
• Gatherings of 15 or more people would have been prohibited unless organizers of the gathering presented a letter from the Newton County Health Department approving the organizers' disease prevention strategies.
• Violations would have been punished under Section 100.130 of the city's charter, which allows for fines of up to $500 and jail sentences of up to three months.
Thursday's result was a change in direction from previous meetings over the past weeks.
The ordinance was rooted in discussions the council has held over several previous meetings. In a meeting on June 16, Allen and Councilman Tom Workman said they would like churches to have the same 50% occupancy that businesses and restaurants had in the previous version of the city's order.
On June 30, a special meeting was held to hear more about the status of the disease and how its spread would be controlled. Dr. Rob McNab, director of Freeman's COVID-19 unit, and other health officials pointed to a spike in cases that led to the Joplin region being labeled as a national hotspot.
On Thursday evening the Newton County Health Department announced the number of the county's COVID-19 cases rose to 635, with 372 cases in isolation, five hospitalized, 260 released from isolation and three deaths.
Allen said after the meeting that people who spoke changed his mind about how to vote.
As for further action, Allen said the city will wait for further directives from the governor, and that people concerned about the spread should take precautions to protect themselves.
"I'm diabetic, with a heart condition. I'm high-risk, so I need to take precautions," Allen said.
Follow Digital Editor Joe Hadsall on Twitter at @JoeHadsall.
Neosho City Council rejects new COVID ordinance, repeals current one
By Joe Hadsall | Digital Editor Jul 9, 2020 Updated Jul 9, 2020
https://www.joplinglobe.com/coronavi...s-current-one/
http://christian-identity.net/forum/...1537#post21537
http://whitenationalist.org/forum/sh...1537#post21537
Instead of adjusting its current COVID-19 ordinance, the Neosho City Council removed it completely.
"We can go back to normal life in Neosho," said Mayor Carmin Allen.
With 4-0 votes, council members removed sections that called for adjustments to the current ordinance, leaving alone a section that repealed the city's existing ordinance. Councilman William Doubek was excused as absent.
More than 130 people attended the special meeting, held Thursday at the Neosho Civic Auditorium.
Before members of the public spoke, the council expressed support for an amendment to the ordinance that allowed churches to host their full capacity allowed by building and fire codes.
That did not stave off criticism from people who spoke against passing the ordinance, saying that it was too much of an intrusion of government into private lives. More than 20 people spoke during the meeting, all of them asking for the council to vote against it. One person, who did not attend, had their statement in favor of the ordinance read by City Clerk Cheyenne Wright.
"Across the country, ordinances desire to put churches on the same level as theaters and bowling alleys," said Jeremie Bridges, pastor of Canopy Christian Fellowship. "The First Amendment allows free exercise of religion, and you have no right to limit that. The only acceptable limit is no limit."
Todd Decker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Neosho, said that the halting of services has taken a toll on his congregation, and that further limits would continue that damage.
"We have been good neighbors. We have canceled sports and activities," Decker said. "But the damage is becoming evident. We see it in our children and families. Our people need to gather for worship, and not be prohibited from that."
Decker also called on churches to exercise caution and social distancing during those services.
Members also criticized the city's process over the last few days. The ordinance was to have been discussed during the council's Tuesday meeting, but the ordinance up for discussion did not contain the allowance for churches. The city posted a statement on its Facebook page apologizing for the error.
A crowd of more than 50 turned out to Tuesday's meeting, presumably over the omission of churches. Allen said that instead of amending the ordinance during Tuesday's meeting, Thursday's special session was called and held in a bigger venue to allow more people to attend and speak.
A few of the speakers called for the mayor and others to resign over the situation. Many in the crowd, who were not wearing masks, applauded after each presentation against the ordinance. Some of the speakers included former mayors, such as State Rep. Ben Baker and Charles Collinsworth.
The ordinance would have updated the city's policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the following ways:
• Businesses and organizations that own buildings open to the public would have their occupancy capped at 50% of their regular occupancy specified by fire and building codes. Educational institutions and day care centers are exempt from this provision. (An amendment earlier approved by the council added churches to this section.)
• Gatherings of 15 or more people would have been prohibited unless organizers of the gathering presented a letter from the Newton County Health Department approving the organizers' disease prevention strategies.
• Violations would have been punished under Section 100.130 of the city's charter, which allows for fines of up to $500 and jail sentences of up to three months.
Thursday's result was a change in direction from previous meetings over the past weeks.
The ordinance was rooted in discussions the council has held over several previous meetings. In a meeting on June 16, Allen and Councilman Tom Workman said they would like churches to have the same 50% occupancy that businesses and restaurants had in the previous version of the city's order.
On June 30, a special meeting was held to hear more about the status of the disease and how its spread would be controlled. Dr. Rob McNab, director of Freeman's COVID-19 unit, and other health officials pointed to a spike in cases that led to the Joplin region being labeled as a national hotspot.
On Thursday evening the Newton County Health Department announced the number of the county's COVID-19 cases rose to 635, with 372 cases in isolation, five hospitalized, 260 released from isolation and three deaths.
Allen said after the meeting that people who spoke changed his mind about how to vote.
As for further action, Allen said the city will wait for further directives from the governor, and that people concerned about the spread should take precautions to protect themselves.
"I'm diabetic, with a heart condition. I'm high-risk, so I need to take precautions," Allen said.
Follow Digital Editor Joe Hadsall on Twitter at @JoeHadsall.
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