Owen County attorney Jim Bryan says he expects to have a revised festival ordinance ready by the County Commissioners’ next meeting on December 16.
The commissioners did not have the proposed festival ordinance on Monday’s meeting agenda despite Bryan saying at the commissioners’ Nov. 18 meeting they planned to have a revised version ready for public reading Monday.
Bryan also said he was unable to provide an overview of possible changes to the ordinance because it is still being revised.
Nonetheless, the controversial ordinance was on the agenda by request of resident Barron Barnett.
Barnett said he felt the new festival ordinance should contain language prohibiting “vanity parades.”
“I like the ordinance overall but the thing I think needs to be added to it is the words ‘no vanity parades,’” Barnett says. “From the dictionary, as I look at it, ‘vanity’ means ‘foolish, silly, excessive pride – maybe in a blasphemous manner.’ Because of the moral aspect of it, I don’t want to see these words left out.”
Barnett, who said he is not affiliated with the anonymous Facebook group Morals of America, previously stated he felt allowing the Spencer Pride Fest to be held at the county courthouse would be discriminatory to him as a heterosexual Christian male.
After Barnett spoke, resident Victor Vaillette briefly asked the commissioners to think about the effects the ordinance could have on Spencer and Owen County.
“Often, things have unintended consequences,” Vaillette says. “And I think this new ordinance is one of them. I don’t think you should pass it.”
The Owen County Commissioners will next meet Monday, December 16 at 6 p.m.
