Wallace to host public hearing for special event ordinance

WALLACE — The Wallace City Council will host a public hearing on its proposed Special Events Ordinance. Previous drafts of the ordinance have been met with opposition.

Officially known as Ordinance 2025-01, the ordinance's stated purpose is to streamline the permitting process for events in Wallace. But many have expressed concerns about the penalties for violating its guidelines.

The ordinance states that, along with forfeiting the ability to apply for future special events permits, anyone caught violating the new rules would be subject to fines and jail time. It would include a $300 fine for any first violation and a potential fine of $1,000 and six months in county jail for a second or any subsequent violation. 

Many residents have rebuffed the idea that violating a permit should result in anything more than being disqualified from applying for future permits. A handful of business owners have circulated a petition demanding that the city council remove criminal penalties from the proposed ordinance. That petition has dozens of signatures and will most likely be presented to the city council during the public hearing.   

The potential tiered penalties are similar to those found in Wallace's City Code, which denotes that any misdemeanor is punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 and six months in county jail. Any infraction is punishable only by a penalty not to exceed $300. 

Councilors Elmer Mattila, Dean Cooper and Cindy Lien were vocal about their concerns with the criminal penalty language of the proposed ordinance during a meeting in January. Lien has maintained that the language is too nebulous and could scare people away from trying to host events in the city 

“There are many volunteers and organizers of events in Wallace that raise money for a variety of nonprofits,” Lien said. “The idea that they could end up with a hefty fine and/or jail time for making mistakes with events scares them. Ordinances are city laws. That means that a new council, sheriff or prosecutor could interpret this ordinance with a much narrower scope and pursue legal remedies against these very volunteers.”  

City attorney Ben Allen previously said the current draft ordinance was written in a way that allows the city, law enforcement and emergency services to have some authority when guidelines are not followed. However, he also said that he would draft the ordinance the way the council directs if it ensures the city isn’t leaving itself open to liabilities.

The council reviewed the proposed legislation in January and directed Allen to make revisions.

The public hearing is scheduled at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Wallace City Hall.