TEMPE, AZ — Tempe voters could get to weigh in on a controversial ordinance that requires permits and fees for groups of 30 or more to use city parks.
The Phoenix Metro Democratic Socialists led a coalition of advocacy groups in a signature drive to put the ordinance to a public vote, submitting their petitions Friday.
“We really feel that Tempe’s public parks should stay public,” said Emily Kirkland, Phoenix Metro DSA co-chair. “They should be for everyone.”
Tempe Mayor Corey Woods previously told ABC15 that the ordinance is intended to update rules from the 1960s and simplify the permit process.
“The only thing this is allowing us to do is to make sure that we know who’s using these ramadas at which time or another, or these public spaces,” he said shortly after the City Council passed the measure.
The new rules require residents to get a permit and reserve a ramada or a section of the park if they expect 30 or more people at their event. Costs vary from $8 to $25.
The ordinance was supposed to go into effect Aug. 1 but is now on hold while the city reviews the signatures.
Kirkland said the ordinance makes it harder for city residents and community groups to use public spaces.
“You should be able to do events in the parks,” she said. “You should be able to do a picnic or a barbecue without worrying about permits and fees and fines.”
At least 2,440 valid signatures are needed to quality for the ballot. The city of Tempe told ABC15 in a statement Tuesday that it received approximately 3,805 signatures.
The groups had just a few weeks for their petition drive; signatures had to be submitted within 30 days of the ordinance’s passage.
“I think just the response that we got from the Tempe community goes to show that the new ordinance that was put together, folks have a lot of concerns with it,” Kirkland said.
The city of Tempe has cited community groups that feed unhoused people in parks, saying they need to apply for a special event permit.
Austin Davis, the director of AZ Hugs, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness, has sued the city over the permit rules, saying the city has denied his requests for a permit.
“All we are simply asking for is, stop trying to take away people's basic human rights,” he said.
He’s heartened by the effort to put the new park ordinance on the ballot.
“This is a true testament of community spirit,” Davis said. “You know, this is what happens when the community comes together and fights for what they believe in.”
The Tempe City Clerk’s Office has 20 business days to validate the signatures. The county will then review a random sample of signatures.
The city’s next election is in March.
“You know, I think that it just 100% makes sense for the people of Tempe to be able to decide on this issue, because it affects all of them,” Davis said.
