Diverse interests find common goals for city
The Key West
Resident/Visitor Committee has been meeting regularly on a weekly basis
for the past eight months to tackle important issues facing the
community.
When the City Commission
first appointed the committee — each commissioner and the mayor had an
appointment — it was interesting to see the diverse group that emerged.
There were many comments made about the panel being just another
committee, and that all members had a certain agenda to bring to the
table.
Well guess what? The
committee members, with all their diverse viewpoints and interests,
found common ground and tackled the problems — and they are waiting to
meet with the commission to offer solutions. In fact, "common ground"
understates the group's success. It should be noted that all members
ended up on the same page as their recommendations to the commission are
unanimous.
The final report noted
that our community should recognize that a healthy tourism-based economy
and a good quality of life should not be viewed as opposing values. The
same things that make Key West a wonderful place to visit also make it a
wonderful place to live.
The committee conducted
many research sessions during its eight months, and it came to the
conclusion that most of the solutions to the community's quality-of-life
problems are available within current ordinances and policies.
Implementing these solutions requires enforcement and persistence, an
effort that should be supported by all.
The committee believes
enforcement efforts should be aimed toward achieving compliance, so that
first time and inadvertent offenders are not unduly punished. Penalties
should escalate for those who intentionally violate codes and
ordinances. Paying fines should not just be "a cost of doing business,"
and the incentive should be to do the right thing.
The committee soon will
be making its report to the City Commission, and Mayor Jimmy Weekley
already has commented that he would like to have a workshop with the
committee so the commission can establish priorities and set goals based
on the findings in the report.
We salute the
community-minded committee members who sacrificed their time for eight
months as they focused making Key West a better place in which to live
and visit. We hope that the city commission will continue to study the
report and follow through on the recommendations being made.
— The Citizen |
