The city council on Wednesday formed a committee to discuss changes to the use policy for city facilities as the first agenda item for its work session at City Hall.
But confusion arose when three subsequent agenda items included discussions on complimentary use of Trotter Convention Center or Regal Hall, among the things the committee seeks to address with an upgraded policy.
Keep Columbus Beautiful wants to host a year-end recognition event at Regal Hall, while Mayor Stephen Jones requested free use of the Trotter for a Mayor’s Youth Council pinning ceremony and the public works department wants to hold its employee Christmas party at the Trotter.
All are city-sponsored events, Jones said Wednesday, even the one for Keep Columbus Beautiful, which is managed by the code enforcement department. Therefore, they all qualify under the city’s existing policy for complimentary use, he argued.
“If they have to pay for it, the money is going to come out of the city,” Jones said. “So, that don’t make much sense either.”
Still, Ward 2 Councilman Roderick Smith, who engaged in a heated argument with Jones at the Sept. 15 council meeting over whether Smith could host a Thanksgiving lunch at the Trotter at no charge, called Wednesday’s agenda items into question, especially since the newly formed committee had not even met.
Smith wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“It’s putting the cart before the horse trying to approve all these different ones,” Ward 6 Councilman Jason Spears chimed in. “… Surely in the next two weeks, three weeks, there can be a couple of (committee) meetings, and then we have meetings of the council to flesh out what should be permitted and should not be permitted. … By making these requests, it’s getting ahead of where we are in the process.”
At issue, Spears said, is what exactly qualifies as a city event. Though he did not express any specific disagreement with the ones listed on the agenda, he said supports crafting a strong policy and sticking with it.
“There are still lights on. There’s still personnel working,” he said. “There are still a lot of things that we, as a city, are having to cover, and when we start giving it away … and making exceptions, we’re essentially giving donations for those events to happen. We have to get more structure to the policy.”
Ward 4 Councilwoman Lavonne Harris, with agreement from Spears, said the policy should look at all city facilities, not just the Trotter and Regal. The council then agreed to table all complimentary use requests until the policy was upgraded.
Then Greg Lewis, parks and recreation director, asked for the council to go ahead and approve a Mental Health Walk event, set for Oct. 15 at the Riverwalk. It was on the work session agenda for discussion, not for a vote. Jones made clear the council could make that exception if it chose.
That set off Ward 5 Councilman Gary Jefferson, who had already expressed displeasure with the Trotter exception requests.
“That’s why we’re in the problem that we’re in now because we make exceptions to every rule,” Jefferson said. “… We always find ourselves going against our own rules.”
Jefferson then turned his comments to the mayor.
“We say no. This ain’t our policy. I’m not even going to put it on the agenda,” he said. “… As hard as it is to say no, sometimes you’ve just got to say no.”
“You want me to say no so y’all don’t have to say no,” Jones responded.
“Now you going to put the blame on us?” Jefferson replied. “You is the leader. You is the mayor.”
“Oh, am I? Y’all don’t act like it sometimes,” Jones said.
“And you wonder why,” Jefferson clapped back.
Despite that exchange, the council unanimously voted to approve the Mental Health Walk anyway.
After the work session, Jefferson emphasized to The Dispatch that “leadership” has to learn to say no. As far as city facilities, he preached consistency.
“When you start putting those gray areas into who can get it and who can’t, everybody is passionate about everything they do,” he said.
Jones told The Dispatch he will not deny someone the right to petition the council.
“All I do is put it on there. It’s up to (the council) to vote yes or no,” Jones said of agenda items. “I can say, ‘Our policy is so and so.’ But if you tell me that you want to go before the council, I can’t deny you going before the council. … I know some council members have said, ‘Just bring it before the council, and we’ll make the decision.’ So you can’t have it both ways.”
Smith, Harris and Jefferson all volunteered to serve on the facilities usage committee, along with Jones, Lewis and Trotter director Rogena Bonner. Jones said he would schedule a meeting by the end of next week.
Also during the work session, City Attorney Jeff Turnage presented proposed changes to the historic preservation ordinance.
Chief among them, he said, was establishing a misdemeanor fine of up to $1,000 for owners who allowed a property in the city’s Downtown Historic District to fall into a state of demolition by neglect – allowing it to deteriorate to the point where it needs to be demolished or that restoration becomes unreasonable.
Turnage said the Historic Preservation Commission had approved the ordinance changes. The council is set to vote on them at its Tuesday meeting.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.