[Adopted 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-7]
A. 
The City Council (the "Council") of the City of Walhalla (the "municipality") is committed to protecting the rights of citizens under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, while implementing policies and procedures that protect the health, safety, welfare and personal privacy of the municipality' s employees and the general public who do business with or use the services of the municipality. This policy (this "policy") is intended to delineate those portions of the municipality property (as defined herein) that are accessible to and observable by the general public from those portions that are accessible on a limited basis, establish rules of conduct that are applicable to all municipality property and specify procedures for municipality employees who encounter those who wish to access municipality property for observational purposes.
B. 
The City Council has determined that it is necessary to regulate access to City facilities, grounds and property in order to ensure the safety and security of the public who visit these areas or the City employees who serve them. The conduct of persons who visit City facilities and/or who have contact with City employees must also be regulated to preserve public order, peace and safety. The regulation of access and conduct must be balanced with the right of the public to have reasonable access to public facilities and to receive friendly, professional service from City employees. These regulations apply to all City facilities as defined below, for and over which City Council exercises control and regulation, and to the extent, only, not preempted by state or federal law.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this Part 2, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
FACILITY
Any building, structure or real property owned, leased, rented, operated or occupied by the City or one of its departments, offices or agencies.
LIMITED-ACCESS AREA
A. 
Any designated area on municipality property that is not generally open to or occupied by the public; is open to or occupied by the public on only a limited, as-needed, or by-invitation basis; or is in an area generally open to or occupied by the public in close proximity to where private third parties conduct business with municipality employees. Limited-access areas may be designated by doors, physical barriers, building design features, signage, reception desks or stations, stanchions, ropes, fencing, bollards or other visible indications. The lack of visible indications shall not prevent the municipality from considering or treating an area as a limited-access area. The municipality shall retain the right to verbally instruct third parties that an area is a limited-access area.
B. 
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, limited-access areas include but are not limited to the following:
(1) 
Employee offices.
(2) 
Employee workspaces including copy rooms, mailrooms and break areas.
(3) 
Employee parking lots, storage areas, access points or other outside areas marked for use by municipality employees or vehicles only.
(4) 
Areas in close proximity to places, stations, desks, counters or teller windows at which private third parties conduct business with municipality employees.
(5) 
Hallways, staircases, restrooms, elevators and other areas by purpose or function restricted to limited or transitory occupancy or providing access solely to other limited-access areas.
(6) 
Maintenance, storage and warehousing facilities.
(7) 
Public works and public safety buildings, except for any designated waiting or reception areas therein.
(8) 
Water, sewer and other public utility facilities.
MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL
A. 
Any municipality law enforcement officer.
B. 
Any person providing security services in any municipality property pursuant to contract with the municipality or with any person, firm or corporation managing a municipality property on the municipality's behalf.
C. 
With respect to any building, facility, area or space assigned to a municipality department, division or agency, the director or manager of such department, division or agency, or any person that such official specifically designates in writing.
D. 
The Municipality Administrator, any Assistant Municipality Administrator, additional officer or any person that such officials specifically designate in writing.
MUNICIPALITY PROPERTY
Any real property owned by the municipality or in which the municipality has a property interest or property management responsibility.
PUBLIC AREA
Any area on municipality property that is generally open to general public access and occupancy that is not otherwise designated as a limited-access area.
RULES OF CONDUCT
The specific guidelines set forth in this policy
To maintain an environment that promotes orderly administrative and business operations, and to take reasonable and prudent actions to protect the health, welfare, safety and personal privacy of all persons at municipality property, the rules of conduct in this section apply and are to be enforced at all municipality property except where specific rules of conduct or prohibitions have been adopted for designated municipality property.
A. 
Rules of conduct applicable to all municipality property. The following rules of conduct shall apply at all municipality property, including both public areas and limited-access areas:
(1) 
No person shall enter, attempt to enter or remain in any areas of municipality property for any purpose other than to conduct legitimate business with municipality offices or tenants located at municipality property, to enjoy publicly accessible amenities in public areas, to lawfully assemble for social or public interaction in public areas specifically designated for such assembly or to exercise other constitutionally protected rights. The appropriate municipality officials may adopt specific policies with respect to municipality property under their custody and control to manage conditions for use of such municipality property, including without limitation to establish hours and terms of use, reservation protocols, use and user priority and fees for use.
(2) 
No person shall engage in any activity on municipality property that would constitute a violation of federal, state or local law or regulation.
(3) 
No person shall engage in activity that disrupts or interferes with the normal operation or administration of municipality business at municipality property, lawful use by municipality employees and authorized users at municipality property or municipality-permitted activities.
(4) 
No person shall stalk, harass, threaten, intimidate or otherwise compromise the wellbeing and safety of municipality employees or private third parties lawfully using municipality property. Photography, audio recording or video recording does not, in and of itself, violate this rule of conduct. Likewise, conduct that would otherwise violate this rule of conduct shall not be permitted merely because the conduct involves photography, audio recording or video recording.
(5) 
No person shall interfere with or obstruct the free passage of municipality employees or authorized third parties in or on municipality property, including without limitation by standing in, blocking access to or occupying areas for purposes of photography, audio recording or video recording.
(6) 
No person shall photograph, audio record or video record in such a manner that would allow capture of, access to or disclosure of private, personal, confidential, sensitive or privileged information of private third parties. The municipality may enforce this rule of conduct by imposing minimum standing or separation distances from areas, stations, desks, counters or teller windows at which private third parties conduct business with municipality employees.
B. 
Limited-access areas. The following rules of conduct shall apply at all limited-access areas:
(1) 
Limited-access areas shall be accessible only to the following:
(a) 
Employees, elected officials and appointed officials of the municipality; and
(b) 
Private parties but only on a limited, as-needed, or by-invitation basis, to include those private parties accessing a limited-access area for the express purpose of conducting business with municipality employees.
(2) 
Photography, audio recording and video recording is prohibited in limited-access areas, except as follows:
(a) 
Any municipality official may authorize audio or video recording or photography in limited-access areas, for good cause shown, with the consent of all parties to be recorded or photographed, provided that any municipality official may impose appropriate and reasonable conditions on the recording or photography to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information; and
(b) 
Audio and video recording and photography may be permitted in limited-access areas when specifically authorized by applicable law or agreements.
(3) 
No person shall photograph, audio record or video record any private third party lawfully entering into, using or occupying a limited-access area without the express consent of such third party.
C. 
Prohibited acts.
(1) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to:
(a) 
Utter loud, obscene, profane, threatening, disruptive or abusive language or to engage in any disorderly or disruptive conduct that impedes, disrupts or disturbs the orderly proceedings of operations of any department or function of the City government.
(b) 
Bring, carry or otherwise introduce any firearm, knife with blade longer than two inches or other dangerous weapon, concealed or not concealed, into any facility or meeting. This prohibition does not apply to law enforcement personnel or any other person whose official, governmental duties require them to carry such firearm, knife or other weapon.
(c) 
Engage in partisan political activity, including speech, not authorized and called for the purpose of partisan political activity and explicitly authorized for such purpose in the facility in which such activity is to be conducted, or refuse to cease such activity when the activity in question is partisan political activity and it has been directed that such activity stop.
(d) 
Interfere with, impede, hinder or obstruct any City governmental official or employee in the performance of his duties, whether or not on City government property.
(e) 
Enter any area of a City government facility, grounds or property when such entry is prohibited by signs, or obstructed or enclosed by gates, fencing or other physical barriers. Such areas include rooms if clearly marked with signs to prohibit unauthorized entry.
(f) 
Enter by vehicle any area of a City governmental facility, grounds or property when such area is prohibited by signs or markings or is obstructed by physical barriers; or park a vehicle in such restricted areas; or park in a manner to block, partially block or impede the passage of traffic in driveways; or park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or in a fire zone; or park in any area not designated as a parking space; or park in a handicapped parking space without proper placarding or license plate; or park in a reserved parking space without authorization.
(g) 
Use any City governmental facility, grounds or other property for any purpose not authorized by law or expressly permitted by officials responsible for the premises.
(h) 
Enter without authorization or permission or refuse to leave any City governmental facility, grounds or other property after hours of operation.
(i) 
Obstruct or impede passage within a building, grounds or other property of any City governmental facility.
(j) 
Enter, without legal cause or good excuse, a City governmental facility, grounds or property after having been warned not to do so; or, having entered such property, fail and refuse without legal cause or good excuse to leave immediately upon being ordered or requested to do so by an official, employee, agent or representative responsible for premises.
(k) 
Damage, deface, injure or attempt to damage, deface or injure a City governmental property, whether real property or otherwise.
(l) 
Enter or attempt to enter any restricted or nonpublic ingress point or any restricted-access area, or bypass or attempt to bypass the designated public entrance or security checkpoint of a facility without authorization or permission.
(m) 
Perform any act which circumvents, disables or interferes with or attempts to circumvent, disable or interfere with a facility's security system, alarm system, camera system, door lock or other intrusion prevention or detection device. This includes, without limitation, opening, blocking open or otherwise disabling an alarmed or locked door or other opening that would allow the entry of an unauthorized person into a facility or restricted-access area of the facility.
(n) 
Exit or attempt to exit a facility through an unauthorized egress point or alarmed door.
(2) 
The Tri-County Board of Directors for Youth Sports Policy on Inappropriate Behavior dated September 9, 2022, shall also apply to sanctioned sporting events.
If a person violates these rules of conduct while in or upon municipality property, any municipality official may eject and direct such person to leave municipality property for a period of up to 24 hours. It shall not be necessary for such municipality official to allege any crime or other violation of applicable law other than these rules of conduct in order to support such notice of exclusion; provided that violation of such notice of exclusion may be deemed a trespass under applicable law. The notice of exclusion shall be in writing, given to the person excluded and signed by the municipality official. It shall specify the dates and places of exclusion and shall contain a warning of consequences for failure to comply with the notice of exclusion.
A. 
Any person may photograph, film or record audio of any public area. Any such activity should be reported to a municipality official, preferably a law enforcement officer if possible.
B. 
Municipality employees should refrain from engaging with photographers and videographers wherever possible. Municipality employees should monitor photographers or videographers on municipality property, but should refrain from engaging them unless they violate any rule of conduct. In the event that engagement is necessary, every effort should be made to respond calmly without escalating the encounter.
C. 
A municipality employee who does not wish to be photographed or recorded may retire to a limited-access area.
D. 
Municipality employees are not required to respond to questions or demands from any photographer or videographer, and should refrain from doing so if possible.
E. 
Municipality employees may invite a private third party conducting business with the municipality and who does not wish to be photographed or filmed to retire to a more private limited-access area in order to complete any business or transaction.
F. 
Municipality law enforcement officers may approach photographers and videographers upon a complaint from a member of the public or municipality employees that the activity is suspicious or based upon their own observation that the activity is suspicious or inconsistent with this policy. This policy neither limits nor expands the authority of municipality law enforcement officers to initiate and pursue investigations, to perform pat downs or frisks based upon reasonable suspicion, or to conduct searches based upon probable cause in accordance with legal authority. Photography, audio recording or video recording does not, in and of itself, rise to the level of reasonable suspicion or probable cause.
Any person violating the provisions of this Part 2 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished in accordance with applicable state statutes. In addition, vehicles that are improperly parked on any City property, facility or other premises may be towed at the owner's expense.