Slow down and give the public a voice

Following Wednesday nights Atlantic City Council meeting, a person told me that they had never seen such arrogance. I have to admit, it’s hard to disagree and that’s too bad, because the issue, the adoption of new building codes, is one I support and think is a good idea.
But unfortunately a good idea is being overshadowed by the city council’s ham-handed efforts at forcing the law through with, what certainly appears to be, little concern for public input. That’s too bad and has led to yet another unnecessary controversy at city hall.
It’s true the council did allow members of the public to speak to the issue Wednesday night, but it was reluctant and often contentious. At least one member of the public who spoke was treated rudely by council members and subjected to what, to many, felt like a cross examination.
The thing is, it’s not the council’s job to cross examine the public. It’s the council’s job to answer their questions, not intimidate, attack or harrass them.
Wednesday night’s display was disgraceful. The public should not be made afraid or intimidated when addressing their own representatives.
The fact that there are misconceptions out there, and no doubt there are, is not the fault of the public. The city has done a poor job of inviting the public into what will be a far-reaching and important issue. From the start the city has never explained the urgency behind the ordinance.
The state has passed a law requiring state certification of electricians and plumbers. Part of that law will require electrical and plumbing inspections, which can be done either by city inspectors in cities that have adopted building codes, or by state inspectors.
The electrical code will be the first adopted with the plumbing code to follow, but it was unclear when that would be. Surely the city could survive a month with state inspectors, if needed, while the concerns of the public are addressed.
It didn’t help when Atlantic Mayor John Krogman announced that only those that supported the idea would be appointed to the ad-hoc committee putting together the ordinance. He may have had a point in that the city had already decided to move ahead with putting the ordinance together and that the role of the committee was not to question the adoption of a building code, but to work out the details of its adoption.
But what would have it hurt to have a differing opinion on the board?
City officials point out that nine public meetings have been held on this issue and few members of the public attended. True enough, but it also true that at some of the meetings public input was not allowed. In addition the ordinace was not available to the public until recently. The ad-hoc committee meeting that I attended, the first, consisted of four people discussing a document that wasn’t available to the public. It was hard, to say the least, to follow along considering the new ordinance is over 50 pages long.
My opinion on the need for a code has not  changed. As I've stated before, building codes are a good thing. They are there for the public’s protection. Most people are unfamiliar with construction materials and methods and have no way of determining if their home is being built safely. A building code sets out minimum standards that everyone must adhere to. Simply put, it makes homes safer. That’s good.
It will also benefit low income residents, forced to rent in homes that may not meet those standards. Landlords won’t be required to bring homes up to standard, but any new construction, or remodel work, will have to meet the standard. As new homes are built and old homes retired, the overall housing standard in Atlantic will rise and the number of unsafe homes will be reduced. 

The council should slow down and immediately schedule public meetings and workshops in which the ordinance is available for inspection and city and JAS officials are available for questions. In that meeting the city needs to clearly explain why these codes are important, how much they will cost and why we need them now.
Those are not unreasonable questions and they deserve a reasonable and courteous response.