Several appropriations on council agenda
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
Portsmouth City Council will meet for the first time in April at the Shawnee State University Ballroom starting at 6 p.m. on Monday.
PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth City Council will reconvene for the first time this month on Monday, a meeting with 11 items on its agenda and multiple appropriations at stake.
Starting with third reading, the council will review two pieces of legislation focused on renewable energy and a possible lease agreement for a museum.
The former would allow the voters of Portsmouth a say in whether or not the city should adopt a Wholesale Electricity Purchase/Renewable Energy Program. As City Manager Sam Sutherland said in a letter, Athens and Chillicothe have enacted similar systems and the council would still need to draft legislation depending on the vote.
Haas, citing First Amendment, says no to Rebel flag ban
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
PORTSMOUTH- A discussion item in the past two Portsmouth City Managers sessions seems like it will remain in that status following a response from City Solicitor John Haas.
Haas received an inquiry from 2nd Ward Councilwoman Charlotte Gordon during the Nov. 23 meeting regarding the presence of Confederate flags on city property, more specifically on the city-owned campgrounds by the riverfront.
He said then that he would need time to review the legal merits of prohibiting the symbol, which would’ve been made part of the city’s policy for campers, but sensed there would be First Amendment implications.