Unanimous: Ketchum City Council passes city-wide Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Lesbian, gay. bisexual and transgender folks who live, work and play in the south-central Idaho town of Ketchum will soon be included in a citywide non-discrimination policy.

The Ketchum city council passed the ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity in cases of housing, employment and public accommodation, unanimously, after a third reading of the measure on Tuesday night.

Mayor Randy Hall told the Idaho Mountain Express in December that for him the issue was “simple”

“The city has zero tolerance when it comes to discrimination based on somebody’s sexual orientation,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we lead by example and make sure everybody understands that there will be no discrimination in Ketchum..”

The next step will be to create a “Human Relations Review Board” which “would be formed to investigate complaints of violations of the ordinance. The emphasis of the ordinance will be on “mediation and education.” However, violators could be charged by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with a misdemeanor,” the newspaper reports.

Ketchum is the third city in Idaho to enact such an ordinance. Sandpoint passed its anti-discrimination ordinance in 2011 and Boise passed a similar measure in December. Leaders in Pocatello, and Moscow are also considering adding their own anti-discrimination bans.  Driggs considered its own proposal in November but council members voted not to move the measure forward.

According to reports, Idaho Falls was scheduled to have the first reading of its anti-discrimination ordinance tomorrow night.  However, the City Clerk’s office says it isn’t on the council’s agenda. There are also reports that the measure maybe changed to a simple resolution, which, while still encouraging, wouldn’t carry as much weight as a full ordinance.