Norwood wants to send arts ordinance back to committee, schedule public hearing
Proposal would require private property owners to get city council OK for murals
The controversial proposal that would regulate murals on private property is meeting resistance as it nears a vote by the Atlanta City Council.
Earlier this week, a City Council committee unanimously approved the legislation proposed by Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd. The measure requires artists and private property owners to obtain the approval of city departments and ultimately the City Council.
Because all committee members signed off on the proposal, it was placed on the consent agenda - essentially a package of legislation that is approved with one vote. If a councilmember wants to discuss a single proposal, he or she must request it be taken off the list.
Come Monday’s full Council meeting at 1 p.m., Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood says she’s going to do just that. Then she’ll ask for the legislation to be sent back to a committee and scheduled for a later public hearing.
“I have been hearing from the community and hearing about the legal concerns,” Norwood says. “For those two reasons I want it to go back to the community and to have a public hearing scheduled and well publicized.”
The legal concerns deal with how the ordinance is written, Norwood says. Earlier this week we passed along the views of attorney Gerry Weber. The constitutional lawyer said he thinks the proposal is “clearly unconstitutional” because it allows Council the authority to approve artistic expression.
Weber said he plans to attend the Council meeting. Members of the arts community are also organizing to attend and oppose the measure.
Norwood says she has never recalled a councilmember blocking the removal of an item from the consent agenda. However, she needs her colleagues to side with her if she’s to be successful in pulling back the proposal back for further vetting. She’s been working with fellow councilmembers to win support, she says.
“I am pleased that there are colleagues who understand that this may need more airing,” Norwood says. “I’m hopeful that they will prevail.”