Anyone wishing to hold a public event will be required to apply for a permit with the city, should the city adopt a new public event ordinance.

"We've gotten an increasing level of complaints in recent years," City Manager John Hitt said, citing events such as Hogs and Hay, the Sea Gypsies, Civil War re-enactors and some church events.

Complaints have come not only from residents about noise and sanitation issues, but from the police department and fire district over safety and access issues.

"When they went to respond to somebody who was sick or having a heart attack, they didn't feel like they had safe access to the event," Hitt said. "So that's one of the conditions we put on the permit applications; (organizers) have to show when and how (responders) can access the event."

Lebanon had two ordinances regarding public events, but Hitt said they were never really enforced actively, mostly because they exempted all nonprofit organizations.

"Now most of our events are put on by nonprofits," Hitt said. "There were so many exemptions to the old ordinance we felt we needed to start over."

If adopted, the new ordinance would supersede the old ones.

"While respecting the freedom of assembly, we needed to have a process to work with those groups and organizations to make sure that sanitation is provided for, [so] police and fire can access the site safely, to work with event sponsors to make sure people don't trespass on private roads, make sure people stay where they're supposed to be, and limit noise and impacts on nearby property owners," Hitt said.

Hitt will ultimately be responsible for approving these permits, but he said he will most likely defer to Lebanon Police Chief Mike Healy or Community Development Manager Walt Wendolowski.

Healy, Hitt, Wendolowski, the chief of the Lebanon Fire District, general manager of utility services and the city building official will constitute the reviewing authorities, those who will look over applications for public events and make comments, including recommendations.

Any appeals will be brought to the city council, de novo, or like new.

"If an applicant was denied, and they say I'm changing something, going to do something different than I applied for, they can change it," Hitt said. "They don't have to appeal what was denied. The city council is making a decision from a clean piece of paper."

Hitt added he does not want to be heavy-handed.

"It is not our desire to prohibit the public from getting together, just that it's done in a safe and responsible way, minimizing the negative impact to the extent that we reasonably can," Hitt said.

The ordinance is scheduled to go before the city council on Oct. 14.

In the new ordinance:

• An as-yet undetermined fee will be set by the city council, to reimburse the city for its "reasonable, actual and necessary costs" in processing applications.

• Organizers will need to furnish evidence of liability insurance at least 10 days before the event should there be a potential for injury to people or property.

• Applications should be filed at least 120 or more days before the event.

• People may apply for multiple events in a two-year period at one time.

• A final decision will be made no later than 30 days before the scheduled outdoor assembly, unless the application was filed later than 120 days before the event, in which case the decision will come no later than 20 days prior the event.

• Applications must include an event site map designating, as a minimum, proposed parking areas, emergency exit routes, setbacks from adjoining properties, location and quantity of proposed sanitary facilities and any proposed overnight camping areas.

• Public event sites are subject to inspection by city officials before and during the event.

• Organizers are responsible to clean up the event site within 72 hours after the event is over.