Maybe City Commission meetings will calm down now that we’re past the date 6-6-06.

But city leaders aren’t taking any chances. After a Lawrence man was arrested at City Hall on two consecutive nights for making outbursts and disobeying police, interim City Manager David Corliss said City Hall security would be tweaked.

“I talked to the police chief this morning, and we’ll have both things that are visible and things that are not visible in the future,” Corliss said.

Corliss said uniformed police officers will be at the next several meetings, but he said it was too early to determine whether that would become a permanent practice. He also said there could be occasions where instead of uniformed police officers, there would be nonuniformed officers in the crowd.

“We will try to be proactive,” Corliss said. “I thought we were proactive (Tuesday) night.”

Mark Cline was arrested at City Hall both Monday and Tuesday after he disobeyed orders from police officers. On Monday, Cline began yelling at a woman who was addressing the Traffic Safety Commission during a public hearing on a proposed cell phone ban. He resisted attempts by a police officer to escort him to the lobby of City Hall, and eventually was restrained face down on the floor of the commission chambers after he became uncooperative with police again.

The scene was similar at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting. Cline – who has previously identified himself as homeless – spoke during a public hearing regarding a new site for a Salvation Army shelter and community center. When he began making accusations about the organization being homophobic, Mayor Mike Amyx banged his gavel and asked Cline to stop. Eventually Cline was asked by police officers to leave the building because he was being disruptive. Instead he began to move toward the commissioners’ dais, after which police officers restrained him face down on the floor of the commission chambers and carried him out by his arms and legs.

Amyx said he was fine with Corliss tweaking security at City Hall meetings, but he said he thought the last two days were isolated incidents.

“I feel pretty comfortable about our meetings,” Amyx said. “I don’t want to create an issue out of this thing.”

City Commissioner Sue Hack agreed.

“I don’t have any concerns for my safety while I’m at the meetings,” Hack said.

Corliss said he wanted to be sensitive to any changes in the environment at City Commission meetings.

“I’ve been privileged to go to City Commission meetings for 16 years, and with just a handful of exceptions the thousands of people who have spoke very passionately about issues have done so with the proper decorum and respect,” Corliss said. “We’re not going to let one incident completely change how we conduct our business.”

In the past, most incidents have involved people talking out of turn or occasionally using profanity. Usually, a bit of banging of the gavel by the mayor has restored order to a meeting, but commissioners sometimes – including when Cline has spoken before – have had to briefly recess a meeting.

And sometimes, city staff members have gotten creative in dealing with more benign disruptions. Several years ago a man sitting on the front row of the gallery began mumbling that he must speak to commissioners and give them a million dollars. Commissioners ultimately allowed the man to come to the podium, where he continued to say that he must give the commission a million dollars and refused to leave. Corliss eventually got the man to stop by telling him that the commission couldn’t accept the million dollars because he was not on that night’s meeting agenda.