The City of Oxford, Mississippi Board of Aldermen held a special meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 to set fines for those individuals and businesses who disobey the City’s Emergency Proclamation on March 17.
Fines can be $1,000.00 plus 90 days in jail for each day of violation.
The approved resolution reads as follows:
ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 1, CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI – GENERAL PROVISIONS BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I. That Section 1-8, General penalties, continuing violations; abatement of nuisances, continuing violations, Code of Ordinances, Oxford, Mississippi, is hereby amended as follows: Change title of section as follows: General penalties, continuing violations; abatement of nuisances, continuing violations; penalties for violations of orders related to emergencies.
Add new subsection (c) to read as follows: (c) Any time the Mayor and/or Board of Aldermen shall make any rule, order, or regulation to prevent the introduction and spread of contagious or infectious diseases, to prevent or alleviate eminent danger to the public safety because of freedom of movement of the City’s residents, to regulate the entrances and the way of ingress and egress to and from buildings, in furtherance of a proclamation or declaration of a local or civil emergency, or as otherwise necessary for emergency management purposes, any such rule, order, or regulation shall have the full force and effect of law once recorded in the office of the city clerk. The violation of any such rule, order, or regulation shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $1,000.00 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, and the cost of prosecution, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the municipal judge, except as provided otherwise by state law. Each day any violation of any such rule, order, or regulation shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
SECTION II. REPEALING CLAUSE All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herein shall be, and the same are hereby repealed.
SECTION III. EFFECTIVE DATE The Mayor and Board of Aldermen find that this ordinance is adopted for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety of the residents of the City of Oxford. For the reasons set forth in the Resolution Declaring a Civil Emergency adopted at their regular meeting on March 17, 2020, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen further find that this ordinance should be effective immediately upon its adoption by unanimous cote of the Board of Aldermen.
