The Terre Haute City Council is considering possible changes to an ordinance requiring a permit for some dances in the area.
The 2016 ordinance requires permits for anyone wishing to hold a public dance within the city, and some residents say the way that's defined is too broad. They've expressed their concerns during council meetings. Now the city council is forming a committee to evaluate the ordinance and clear up any confusion in the wording.
Council member Martha Crossen will lead the exploratory committee. She says the ordinance was the result of a few violent incidents at college parties in Terre Haute, including multiple gunshots.
Crossen says the ordinance is meant to stop that kind of behavior – not neighborhood barbecues or birthday parties.
"Some people in the public, I think, misunderstood the intent and felt like it wasn't clear," Crossen says.
The ordinance outlines a number of events that don't require a permit, such as dance classes, charitable events or theatrical productions.
"We are not trying to keep people from enjoying their friends and family on a regular basis in the community at all," Crossen says.
Crossen says the police have issued tickets and fines for a number of incidents since the ordinance was passed. But she says they were mostly the result of calls from other residents, such as noise complaints.
"There are a variety of reasons why the police might have been called out," Crossen says, "and while there, they found that it fit within this violation."
The seven-member committee includes representatives from the police department, city council and public. Crossen says they will meet over the next two weeks, and the public will have a chance to comment on any changes they propose.