by Jeff Quibell
21. October 2009 08:55
Typically, items on a consent agenda are routine. If discussion of a particular item is requested, that item is removed from the consent agenda. At Monday’s city council meeting Councilmen Solon made a request to discuss whether or not our city would approve the name change of the company that provides area municipalities with insurance from MARCIT to Midwest Public Risk.
However, the discussion didn’t center on the name change, but instead the issue discussed was District 3 Councilmen Solon and Fowler’s complaint that the insurance wouldn’t cover them if they are sued for land uses issues. It’s hard to understand the correlation with the primary issue, which was renaming a company. But it gives me a great opportunity to discuss what I feel is the heart of the issue, which is why a councilman might be sued on a land use issue and why insurance companies might choose not to cover them.
A properly trained councilman that has participated in land use education provided by the Missouri Municipal League has a very low likelihood of being sued by a landowner. To take that a step further, if our Councilmen formulate their decisions regarding land use based on the current state laws and city ordinances as they are required to do, they are well protected. Our Councilmen and our city are at risk when decisions are made based on personal bias rather than following the law.
Our councilmen should focus on approving appropriate land use ordinances and should make every effort to attend the annual training events provided by the Missouri Municipal League. They should familiarize themselves with our state land use laws and make their decisions based on those laws, as they are required to do. These training events, including those provided by the city’s insurance company, are a cost effective training opportunity and a worthy investment of our taxpayer dollars.
Perhaps if all of our Councilmen would participate in these important educational opportunities, we could stop wasting valuable time on things such as stopping the simple name change of our city’s insurance company and focus on the really important issues that face our city. You can learn more about our city’s insurance at http://www.marcit.org.