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Editorial: Guest Editorial: A Native`s Case for Florida Hometown Democracy
October 3rd, 2009

Editorial: Budget of Sugarcreek Goes Modern
October 1st, 2009

Editorial: Is Nothing Sacred?
September 17th, 2009

Editorial: Great Expectations
September 2nd, 2009

Editorial: Helping the Levy County Budget
August 6th, 2009

Editorial: WUFT-FM to Delete Music for Cedar Key
July 28th, 2009

Editorial: Governor Crist Balks on Appointment
July 9th, 2009

Editorial: Affordable Housing in Cedar Key
July 6th, 2009

Editorial: The Greening of Cedar Key
June 25th, 2009

Editorial: Unanimous Consent to Suspend the Rules
June 12th, 2009

Editorial: Cutting the Cost of Garbage Collection
May 27th, 2009

Editorial: America Must Support Chinese Democracy Seekers
March 23rd, 2009

Editorial: Membership Appeal
February 20th, 2009

Editorial: Cutting Health Care Costs
January 10th, 2009

Editorial: 2008 and Some Fearless Predictions
December 30th, 2008

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Unanimous Consent to Suspend the Rules

Unanimous Consent to Suspend the Rules

Editorial

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 လteethဝ 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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