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City commission will keep board of adjustment role
BY TIMOTHY
O'HARA
Citizen Staff
Writer
KEY WEST — The
city will not change the board of adjustment from the city commission to
an appointed body.
Commissioner
Ed Scales proposed placing a question on the November general election
ballot, asking if residents want the city commission to continue to sit
as the board of adjustment or have the commission appoint the board.
The board of
adjustment determines whether property owners should be granted
variances to city building and code regulations.
Scales is
uncomfortable with the city commission enacting land use regulations one
night and then sitting as a board that allows residents to ask for
variances to those land regulations, he said.
Scales said
that Key West is the only city in Florida that he has found that allows
the city commission to sit as the board of adjustment.
The ballot
initiative was slated to be voted on by the commission Tuesday night,
but Scales withdrew the proposal after a majority of the commission
members were not in favor of the referendum.
Local hotelier
Heather Carruthers came out Tuesday to speak in favor of Scales' idea.
"I urge you to
pass this," Carruthers said. "Enforcement of ordinances should not be
the responsibility of legislature."
Commissioners
Harry Bethel, Carmen Turner, Merili McCoy and Tom Oosterhoudt all spoke
against the change, many saying that they have not heard an overwhelming
protest from the public to change the composition of the board.
The commission
has not been challenged on a board of adjustment ruling for at least a
decade, Bethel said.
"The
accountability stops here," Bethel said. "I think we do a good job
....There has been no outcry and no reason for the outcry."
Resident and
environmental group Last Stand also opposed the ballot question, because
it didn't define who would assume the role as the board.
"Whoever deals
with this must have a great deal of familiarity with the code," said
Bill Verge, a member of Last Stand and the city planning board.
Mayor Jimmy
Weekley believes the idea should at least be brought before the voters,
he said. The costs would be minimal to put it on the November general
election ballot, city officials said.
tohara@keysnews.com |
