After months of discussion, members of the Owensboro Fairness Campaign presented a draft of a county-wide nondiscrimination ordinance to County Commissioners at Daviess County Fiscal Court Thursday night.
Judge-Executive Al Mattingly said the commissioners will likely put the ordinance to a vote by the beginning of March. The draft must first be approved by the county attorney, then first and second readings would come before a final vote.
Chad Benefield, who presented the draft on behalf of the Owensboro Fairness Campaign, told commissioners that over the last two months other cities’ adoptions of nondiscrimination ordinances struck a nerve with members of the group.
“Over the last couple of months, several other cities have passed nondiscrimination ordinances — in fact, on Tuesday, Fort Thomas became the 17th city in the Commonwealth to pass such an ordinance,” he said.
Benefield, who had hoped Daviess County would become the first county in the state to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance, told commissioners that Woodford County will probably make history next Tuesday with the expected passage of its ordinance.
“I have to say I’m a little heart-hurt that Daviess County cannot make the claim of being the first, so we’re here tonight to make sure that Daviess County is the second,” he said.
Mattingly said two different public forums will be held so individuals can speak to their stance on the matter.
“We’ll have a public forum, then a first reading [with] no comment,” he said. “Then we’ll have a second public forum. Then we’ll have the second reading, and I would probably invite five folks from each side to come up and give a summation of [their stance on the matter].”
A vote will be taken after the second reading, where three out of four commissioners must vote in approval for the nondiscrimination ordinance to pass. Mattingly said both readings would be held at the Daviess County Courthouse, but the public forums are expected to bring much bigger crowds and could require a change in venue.
