Teen curfew finalized after five-month debate

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Virtual session hears no citizen comments

 

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A proposed ordinance that previously drew both support and opposition, the teen curfew, was passed without any additional citizen input during the April virtual meeting of the Sulphur Springs city council. 

“If you’ll recall, this has a two-year sunset provision,” city attorney Jim McLeroy told the council. “We will try it out for two years. If we like it, we can keep it. If we don’t like it, it will expire without any further council action at the end of two years.” 

A curfew was initially proposed during the December citizens comments portion by Dinky Weeks of the Corner Grub House and Lara Colby of Magic Scoop to discuss what they called “children running downtown.” 

Colby said the store has experienced problems with theft. Weeks said she has experienced trash cans being knocked over. 

In February, however, zoning board of adjustments member and city council candidate Jay Julian told the city council he felt like enacting the ordinance was “big government” and in March proposed that the city provide more civic outreach for youth, such as youth governance programs. Planning and zoning member Tommy Harrison agreed, stating he did not believe children from the East End neighborhood were causing a problem as they hang out at Pacific Park and not downtown. 

In March, downtown police officer Ron Mayberry said he was unsure if enacting a curfew would be effective, but he also agreed with SSPD chief Jason Ricketson, who presented that the curfew could be a good “tool” for law enforcement officers. 

The ordinance would provide that unaccompanied children under the age of 17 cannot be out past 10 p.m. on a week night or 11 p.m. on a weekend, which would be enforced city-wide, McLeroy said. Teens with jobs that keep them out past the curfew would be exempted from the ordinance, McLeroy stated. 

After tabling the issue in January and February, the council voted to move forward with the curfew in March. 

Hearing no further citizen comments in April, the council voted unanimously to enact the curfew with its sunset provision intact.