Ozark masking ordinance narrowly rejected

Last edited 12:02 p.m., Aug. 18, 2020

The Ozark Board of Aldermen yesterday narrowly struck down an ordinance that would have required residents to wear face masks in public spaces.

The vote was 3-2 in favor, but it needed four votes to pass. Board members Heather Alder, Bruce Galloway and Nathan Posten voted for the mandate, and RJ Flores and Ted Smith voted against it. Alderman Jason Shaffer abstained in the meeting livestreamed via YouTube.

Mayor Rick Gardner said after the vote that if there had been a tie, he would have rejected the measure. While he said he supports the use of face coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19, Gardner said the bill itself was flawed, a notion raised by other members earlier in the meeting. For instance, he said the proposed ordinance did not properly define what types of face coverings would be adequate and did not fully make the case for how they're effective in blocking the virus.

"There are just too many flaws. I don't want to put the restaurants or any of the businesses in the position of having to do our job for us. I also recognize the incredible difficulty in our police department enforcing this," he said at the meeting. "But I can't help but think that we need to do something because I think we're ignoring a significant problem if we don't.

"I would like to see people do this voluntarily."

Gardner also said he would be open to revisiting the issue if aldermen deem it appropriate.

The Ozark board's decision came after Nixa’s City Council rejected a mask mandate last month. The governing bodies of the cities of Springfield and Branson have approved mandates, and both municipalities are facing lawsuits in an attempt to overturn the ordinances.