MARATHON REVISITS CODEBOARD AND OTHER NEW STUFF

At George Garrett’s first meeting as city manager on Nov. 8, he announced the promotion of Brian Shea from senior planner to planning director and also told the council that Growth Management Director Doug Lewis had submitted his resignation. 

“We wish Doug well in his future endeavors,” said Garrett. 

Garrett also told the council that because meetings will continue once a month (rather than twice a month), in the future every department would present a report. 

Part of Lewis’ duties included overseeing the code department. Not for the first time, Councilman Dan Zieg suggested the city do away with the special magistrate, and revert back to using the code board. Councilman John Bartus agreed, while Councilmen Mark Senmartin and Steve Cook disagreed. Mayor Luis Gonzalez asked staff to gather data.

“We need a complete report of the whole (code) system so that we are all better informed to make a decision at the next meeting,” Gonzalez said. While the city used to have a code board, it only had a five-person committee. By state statute, Marathon must have a seven-person board with specific qualifications. City attorney Steve Williams told the council it’s possible to have a hybrid of the two — a code board and a special magistrate — but the city must decide how to assign cases to each entity. 

The donation of a gator to the City of Marathon’s Parks Department by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office proved to be less exciting than anticipated. As it happens, the sheriff was giving a Gator — a motorized vehicle — to the Middle Keys city. CONTRIBUTED

“The special magistrate and code board would be treated as equal. Their decisions are equal. The fines are equal,” Williams said.

Garrett also told the council that all city staff would begin using the new permitting software immediately. 

“The old system will cease to function on Thursday and we will be working with the building staff on Friday. We will also notify contractors about the change so they can also register to use it,” he said. “I know there will be glitches, but it’s going to happen and we are going to move forward.”

The city is also seeking reimbursement from the state’s allocation of CARES Act for $800,000 for funds it spent on pandemic expenses. 

Most of the Nov. 8 meeting was devoted to a case previously heard by the city’s planning commission. The planning commission rejected a plaintiff’s appeal of a city-issued permit to move electric poles from the south side of Aviation Boulevard to the north side to accommodate the new bike path. Residents Roger Bolon and Alexandra Wolff exercised their right to have the Marathon City Council hear almost the entire case again, complete with cross examinations by their lawyer and an attorney for the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative. In the end, the council agreed with the planning commission’s decision and rejected the plaintiff’s appeal to have the permit overturned. 

A route is being laid out for Santa’s ride on the fire truck through town on Christmas Eve. This year, there will be no stops, to prevent the gathering of large groups as a safety precaution during the pandemic. Watch the Keys Weekly for more details. 

Sara Matthis thinks community journalism is important, but not serious; likes weird and wonderful children (she has two); and occasionally tortures herself with sprint-distance triathlons, but only if she has a good chance of beating her sister.