Germantown looking to repeal holiday decoration ordinance
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — The city of Germantown is taking steps to repeal a city-wide ordinance on holiday decorations.
This comes as the city faces a lawsuit after a woman said her First Amendment rights were violated after receiving a fine for displaying Halloween decorations on Christmas.
'This ordinance repeal, it's not going to remove the important framework that preserves the integrity of our neighborhoods, not in its entirety,' said Germantown's Vice Mayor, Mary Anne Gibson.
The Germantown Board of Mayor and Alderman approved the first measure to repeal a city-wide holiday or seasonal decoration ordinance.
Germantown drops citation for holiday decorations
Right now, the rules limit the time a person can have decorations up 45 days before the intended occasion or 30 days after.
Outside that time, decorations would have to come down.
'I do have some legal concerns about the seasonal decoration ordinance, and based on those, I would recommend that the ordinance as written be repealed,' City Attorney David Goodman said.
Alexis Luttrell, the woman who filed the lawsuit, alleges her First Amendment right to free speech was violated.
She argued that her skeleton decorations could be used outside of Halloween.
'That's not something that I'd do necessarily, but it was something,' said Germantown resident Reggie Raney. 'I did see the article and was like, that's silly.'
Raney said her family is huge fans of Halloween and recalls that during COVID, decorations, whether seasonal or holiday, were up earlier than usual.
'We are charged,' Gibson said. 'Our mission is to promote and preserve the integrity of our residential neighborhoods.'
Germantown's Board of Aldermen said while a total repeal is not in the books, they are concerned about the city losing its charm.
Germantown considers getting rid of ordinance at center of skeleton decorations lawsuit
'I think most residents appreciate that Germantown is Germantown,' Raney said.
The next reading is now set for April 14.
'We encourage all residents to come and attend that meeting and speak on the record if they choose to,' said Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo.
The City of Germantown is still facing a lawsuit for the seasonal decoration ordinance.
A scheduling conference is set for the end of April.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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