The Tonganoxie City Council again will discuss the possibility of enacting a mask ordinance in public places.

Council members will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday for a special virtual meeting to discuss drafting of mask ordinance. Council Member Jake Dale asked to revisit the topic during Monday’s regular meeting. Initial efforts to implement an ordinance sputtered in August. City staff crafted an ordinance, but it didn’t have enough support to move from discussion to a vote.

Dale wanted to look at the ordinance again with the holiday season moving toward Christmas and New Year’s Eve and the potential for numbers to keep trending upward.

He also said that an ordinance could help the city be more consistent with neighboring counties. Though mask ordinance discussion among Leavenworth County Commissioners repeatedly has resulted in no consensus to enact an ordinance, Leavenworth and Lansing have passed city ordinances, while neighboring counties — including Jefferson County — now have mask ordinances.

Leavenworth County has a population of more than 81,000; Jefferson County has a population of 19,000, with communities ranging in size from 610 (Nortonville) to 1,150 (Valley Falls).

If city council members here vote in favor of a mask ordinance, Tonganoxie would be the first Leavenworth County municipality outside Leavenworth and Lansing to adopt an ordinance.

“Fortunately, I will admit, that we have been relatively unscathed at this point,” Dale said Monday, while also describing hardships. “Certainly our businesses were affected by regional shutdowns, and plenty of people have fallen ill and been hospitalized and unfortunately passed from it.

“I believe now is the time to do what I consider to be the bare minimum. With freedom comes great responsibility … we’re kind of falling short with our responsibility.”

The council approved the special meeting, 3-1, with Rocky Himpel voting against.

“I’m not going to sign off for a special meeting,” Himpel said during discussion. “That way, you know where I stand.”

Council members and Mayor David Frese looked at their schedules to determine the option that best allowed members to attend and then settled on 4 p.m. Thursday.

Himpel later explained his dissenting vote.

“By voting ‘no,” it doesn’t mean I’m not going to attend,” he explained. “I just want to not have the special meeting.”

Dale and fellow council members Loralee Stevens and Chris Donnelly voted for the special meeting.

Comments on the topic can be submitted in advance and will be taken until 1 p.m. Thursday Public comment during the meetings will be limited to 3 minutes and you will need to contact the Clerk’s office to speak at (913) 845-2620 or info@tonganoxie.org by 1 p.m. the day of the meeting.

The meeting will not be livestreamed on Facebook Live, but residents can listen in by calling 346-248-7799 or 312-626-6799 and then use meeting code 874 2936 8276.