Vidalia to Hold Public Forum on Ordinances

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Vidalia City Manager Josh Beck addressed the public during the July 8 City Council meeting to share that the Council and city administration had decided to host a public forum to discuss several ordinances – including the Homelessness ordinance — before they are officially voted on.

“During my Monday morning meetings with Department heads, I usually share this quote from John Wesley – ‘We all should have unity in the essentials, grace in the nonessentials, and love through it all.’ We all want the same thing – to make Vidalia better, and you’re doing that by showing up here to this meeting,” he told the public. “We removed continued from page

these ordinances from being voted on tonight because I think the process is backwards – I think we need to have public participation before they come to the council meeting, so we plan on hosting a public forum for all of the proposed ordinances.”

Beck continued, sharing that the public forum date had not been solidified yet, but was set to be scheduled in early August; he said that the official date will be publicized to the public through the newspaper and other media sources. The ordinances that will be discussed include the building codes ordinance, the homelessness ordinance, the solar panels ordinance, the campers and RVs ordinance, and short term rentals ordinance – all of which are available for review upon request from city hall.

“I know everyone is passionate about these ordinances. We don’t know everything – we are not going to pretend like we do. It’s absolutely critical that you show up and let your voice be heard at this forum. We are going to lean on you – a lot of you are experts in these different fields – please show up,” Beck emphasized.