Title
Ordinance to Amend and Re-Enact Chapter 2 of the Code of the City of Hampton, Virginia Sections 2-313, -316, and -318 Regarding Requirements Associated with Special Event Permits
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
To address recent concerns related to violations and denials of special event permits, staff is proposing the following amendments to the City’s Special Event Permits ordinance for Council’s consideration.
The proposed amendment to Section 2-313 would eliminate the eighteen-month ban as a penalty for violation of the ordinance. Instead, the amendments provide that failure to obtain a permit or failure to adhere to the terms and conditions of an issued permit are considered a violation of the ordinance and that if a person is convicted of a violation, they will be guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500. The proposed fine threshold provides flexibility for the court to determine an appropriate fine in each case, based on the circumstances of the violation. The proposed amendments to the Hampton ordinance do not provide for any jail time. The penalty would be limited to a fine, which would be imposed at the discretion of the court. No appeal to the City Manager is identified in this section since the decision to convict or not convict would be made by the court.
The proposed amendment to Section 2-316 would include an additional standard so that applicants who have been convicted of a violation within the preceding six months are not eligible to receive approval for a subsequent permit.
The proposed amendment to Section 2-318 would clarify the parameters for appeal of permit denials, including a timeframe for appeal and additional specificity regarding the City Manager’s standard of review on appeal.
The proposed ordinance includes a provision that would void any existing ineligibility decisions. This means that any applicant or organizer that is currently classified as ineligible due to a prior violatio...
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