Dixon hold first reading of Prayer Ordinance

by Matt Hughes

J-E News Editor

The Dixon Commission took the first steps on Monday night to passing an ordinance that will outline the specifics of how, when and who may pray at future commission meetings. This move comes at the urging of the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC).

On it’s website, KLC says that “Many cities in Kentucky open their public meetings with a short prayer or invocation.  This practice was upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court decades ago, but recently legislative prayer policies have taken center stage in a flurry of court cases across the nation.  Both the U.S. Supreme Court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will soon be revisiting the issue and hopefully offering updated legal guidance for cities in Kentucky.”

The practice was most recently brought to the forefront in Coleman and Jones vs. Hamilton County Commission (TN), a case the KLC paid close attention to. In the end the county’s practice of opening meetings with a prayer was allowed, but KLC started urging cities to adopt ordinances outlining their own practice.

Dixon is the first city in Webster County to address the issue. In the absence of commissioners David Royster and Donna Keller, the remaining commission members passed the first reading of the ordinance unanimously, although officials said that Keller had given a lot of input to the ordinance.

The second reading of the ordinance will take place at the next commission meeting.

In other business, the commission voted to move $3,000 from the general fund into the park fund, and softball commissioner Steve Sauder was appointed to the Park Board.

The commission approved spending $3,000 to purchase a chlorine testing device. This device will allow chlorine levels in Dixon water to be checked continuously, even if Water Operator Jamie Harkins is on duty or not.

The commission also voted to join “Compliance Check”, a program from Kentucky Rural Water. For $900 a year the program will make sure the city’s water stays within compliance limitations.

“Violations are expensive to fix,” said city clerk Peggy Poole. “The idea is that if this catches one violation and prevents the city from getting fined, it’s paid for itself.”