<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail-article_head0" style="margin:0.4em 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><p class="gmail-uptitle" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.2em;line-height:1.1em"><span class="gmail-Fid_17" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">CITY CODE</span></p><p class="gmail-maintitle" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.6em;color:rgb(154,61,61);line-height:1.1em"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal;font-weight:bold">Rules for IMC follow ordinance</span></p></div><div class="gmail-article_body0" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-first gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:404.489px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding0" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">By ADALBERTO TOLEDO</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_15" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"><a target="_blank" href="mailto:atoledo@news-gazette.com" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,0,255)">atoledo@news-gazette.com</a></span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_16" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">URBANA — Following a heated discussion Monday night regarding the imposition of rules that Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center officials said would threaten the center’s ability to remain open, Urbana City administrator Carol Mitten said she’s simply following the city’s code.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_16" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Mitten explained Tuesday that when the city sent a memo in March to IMC, it was clear that new rules would apply at the venue</span><span class="gmail-Fid_16" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> after police</span><span class="gmail-Fid_16" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> found alcohol there following an event where it wasn’t supposed to be allowed. Those rules mean that hosts of future events there would need to apply</span></p></div></div><div class="gmail-last gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:404.489px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding0 gmail-split" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-abody gmail-split" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_16 gmail-split" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">for a permit 45 days in advance, pay a $100 processing fee and submit a security plan.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_16" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Mitten said the ordinance was violated, so IMC is essentially “on probation.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_16" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">That was the first place</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 0px 0px 15px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal">(continued)</p><br style="margin:0px;padding:0px"></div></div><br style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both"></div><hr class="gmail-hr0" style="margin:0.8em 0px;padding:0px;width:808.991px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-article_head1" style="margin:0.4em 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"></div><div class="gmail-article_body1" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-first gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:404.489px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding1" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-maintitle" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.6em;color:rgb(154,61,61);line-height:1.1em"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal;font-weight:bold">RULES</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Continued from B-<a style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:blue"><b style="margin:0px;padding:0px">1</b></a></span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“where we got off on the wrong foot,” Mitten said, because IMC thought the new rules applied only to events with alcohol, and not all events.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Still, officials with IMC say the “probationary” requirements are an onerous ask for a largely volunteer-based organization that books free events catering to underrepresented communities.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“That’s my word, not anything in the ordinance,” Mitten said of the word “probation.” “We’ve never invoked it on anyone before, so we’re figuring it out at the same time they are. And what we’re discovering is that the volume of events they have is taxing them, and it’s taxing us.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Mitten wants the city to come to an “amicable agreement” with IMC as soon as possible because, should the volume of applications continue, the amount of processing time for them would be “quite a lot” to handle for city staff already stretched thin.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">She said she’s interested in coming up “with a streamlined process on both sides,” but added that the provision invoked on them, which followed their March violation, is a “requirement” under the city code.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“I regret that we’re having what appears to be a high level of animosity, because we don’t feel that way toward the IMC,” Mitten said. “But there’s no provision in the ordinance that allows us to waive these requirements. So we’re trying to work within the ordinance as we have it right now and spending a lot of staff time trying to accommodate as best we can. We’ll be putting forward some revisions that will help on both sides.”</span></p></div></div><div class="gmail-last gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:404.489px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding1 gmail-split" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">People who do frequent bookings, for example, could potentially be considered with a single application, a single fee and a standard security plan, so they don’t have to apply each time, Mitten said. She added that maybe the city could also shorten the number of days in advance, though “not significantly, because we still do have some internal work to be done.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">One big sticking point is having “an accountable individual on-site,” Mitten said. “It’s hard for us not to expect that because we need a point of contact available in real time.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">It’s clear though that the current situation can’t continue for the city or IMC. Mitten said that in just the past 24 hours, the amount of time that has been spent on this matter is “quite substantial,” with staff having to process special-event permits.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Mitten also apologized for the issue “becoming so contentious,” and said she’ll continue to meet with IMC officials to resolve the issue.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">She added that the city probably won’t have the ordinance recommendations ready for the regularly scheduled meeting next Monday, because Mayor Diane Marlin will be out of town, but she expects modifications to come to the city council dais in the near future.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">When asked why she couldn’t just ignore the ordinance and place a hold on probationary requirements until the issue is resolved, Mitten said she wouldn’t want to put herself, or her staff, in that position.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“I don’t want them in the position of having to say to the council that at some points what we do is we selectively ignore your ordinances when we feel it’s suitable,” Mitten said. “That’s not what we do here.”</span></p></div></div></div></div>