Wednesday, May 29, 2002
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Wednesday, May 29, 2002 |
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County adopts curfew power for emergencies – Disaster rules also penalize price gouging, require registration of building contractorsBy JOHN THOMPSON
If a state of emergency is declared in Fayette County, the county now has a set of ordinances to keep the government running and promote public safety. Last week, the Fayette County Commission unanimously approved a set of ordinances drafted by Department of Fire and Emergency Services Director Jack Krakeel. The ordinances go into place when the Governor calls a state of emergency, which was called several times during the 1990s, Krakeel said. Most of the county's previous emergency declarations occurred because of floods, he added. The ordinances actually cover four areas; waiving procedures and fee structure, registration of building contractors, prohibition of overcharging and institution of curfew. In waiving procedures, the ordinance allows the local governing body to call a meeting by the chairman or two members of the board. Commission Vice-Chairman Linda Wells suggested the number should be increased to three, but Chairman Greg Dunn said two is plenty. "I've been in those situations and you're really lucky to find one person," he said. Wells said she was just trying to prevent situations such as when former President Ronald Reagan was shot and Gen. Alexander Haig declared himself in charge of the situation. Fees could also be suspended or reduced in a state of emergency. The ordinance also requires all building contractors who want to help clean up any damage to be registered with the county. Krakeel said this is done to make sure residents can feel confident in the work they need to get done. The director also said the ordinance looks harshly at price gouging. If a business person attempts to overcharge residents in an emergency period, a fine of $1,000 and jail time of 60 days could be imposed for each violation. Finally, the board is allowed to impose a curfew. Under conditions of the curfew, only "exempt individuals," such as public safety, medical, media and military would be allowed to be on the streets during the curfew. Krakeel thanked the board for their support, and said the county has been working on the ordinances long before Sept. 11 occurred.
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