THOMASVILLE — The City of Thomasville will take a look at regulating murals around town — but it will give time for those affected to have a say.

City council members passed the first reading of an ordinance imposing a moratorium on murals. But an emergency resolution that would have gone into effect immediately for 180 days failed when it didn’t achieve a super majority, meaning four of five council members’ votes.

Council members first broached the topic at their September 8 workshop. Council member David Hufstetler was not in attendance at the workshop and took part by phone at Monday night’s council meeting. He cast the vote against the emergency ordinance and without Council member Jay Flowers, the measure failed.

“I rode around town. I just don’t see the big issue,” Hufstetler said.

Hufstetler said he counted four murals on businesses. 

“I don’t see the sky falling, so to speak,” he said.

Hufstetler said he would like to have a few weeks between the votes, rather than have both votes done together for an emergency resolution, in order to allow time for feedback.

“I have a strong tendency toward private property rights,” he said. “If we did in two readings, it would give us a chance to get some feedback too from the people affected by it.”

Had the emergency resolution prevailed, it would have put into place an immediate 180-day moratorium on murals. That time, City Attorney Tim Sanders said, would give city staff time to research the issue and see if there is a better way to regulate the issue.

Hufstetler said the initial discussion also occupied only a brief amount of time in a workshop that lasted more than a hour last week.

“This is almost literally the first I’ve heard of it,” he said.