Unanimous Consent to Suspend the Rules

On various occasions our Cedar Key Commissioners face complicated problems. Ordinances are drafted, debated and passed with regularity. Ordinance 458, which appears to allow small lots to amalgamate into larger lots, was passed June 2 to do something that only a lawyer could appreciate, and possibly explain to a layman. We might actually need Ordinance 458.

But we have ordinances about seawalls, noise abatement, tree protection, sign size limitation and dangerous dogs that almost anyone can understand. In each case, the Commission has consented to suspend the official rule (Ordinance) more often that one might hope. Reasons for suspension range from the absence of áÄúteetháÄù to unenforceability. Admirably, fear of being sued was publicly rejected as a reason for failing to enforce a given ordinance by a former Mayor. This editorial is not aimed at repeal of any particular ordinance. Rather, its goal is to suggest repeal of any ordinance that cannot be fairly and uniformly enforced.

The Commission will be focused for the next few months on hammering out a budget. That process has become difficult in the face of declining property values and associated reduced tax base. As always, Cedar Key News recommends citizen attendance at the budget meetings. However, Cedar Key News also recommends that once the budget is set, culling of unenforced or unenforceable ordinances should be considered by the citizens and Commission.

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