Tempe City Council rescinds controversial parks ordinance

Tempe City Council has rescinded an ordinance to regulate large gatherings in parks that unanimously passed in July.

City officials indicated they may have been hasty in pushing through the measure.

The city parks ordinance would have required a special permit, of varying cost, for any event with 30 or more people.

The about-face comes amid public outcry, a lawsuit claiming first amendment violations, and a successful referendum stalling the ordinance until a public vote next year.

That lawsuit was dismissed in light of the referendum, so Mayor Corey Woods says the city now has more time to get community input on what’s best for the parks.

“And ask our Neighborhood Services office to create a public improvement plan to discuss the creation of a potential new ordinance for our parks and special events," Woods said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, some city residents, like Bobby Nichols, said they had voiced concerns for the harm the ordinance would have caused, especially to homeless people, before it was initially passed.

“We expressed concern about how the language of the ordinance encouraged arbitrary enforcement and unequal standards. We spoke about how it created issues for the expression of free speech," Nichols said.

He also had helped with the referendum.