To the Martin County Judge/Executive and Magistrates:

I own and pay taxes on property in Martin County so I want to express my views on this new trash ordinance. When I read the article in the Mountain Citizen newspaper, I thought this does not sound right. I researched and found the codes posted on the Kentucky League of Cities website. I have noticed the same policies being pushed across the United States.

The League of Cities is an advocate group that lobby legislators and play a role in public policymaking. They advocate for the government to reduce local control. They are not for the citizens. They force their idea upon the communities by using state laws that they help make by lobbying the state Legislature. They also want to limit public hearings on their policies especially housing policies. They want control on the local level. On the website www.klc.org they list the policies they are pushing. The citizens need to read the Land Bank Authorities and the Kentucky Code Enforcement Statutes. They want to acquire the citizens’ land by using the trash ordinance violations and delinquent taxes to get the land. They will have control of housing and only the elite will own property. Notice the increase of very large housing complexes being built all over the U.S. They want control so that no private citizen can own any land. Got to make room for the illegals too.

Do not let the Kentucky League of Cities control Martin County. It will only hurt the citizens. I would like to know who locally is behind the big push for this.

In the newspaper article one resident stated we already have a trash ordinance but the county attorney will not enforce it. Why is that?

If you want to clean up Martin County, you already have the control to do it. Why pass this mission on to the League of Cities to take total control of Martin County? What’s in it for your positions as county judge/executive and magistrates? You all seem to be so complicit with all this being pushed by the League of Cities. All you need to do is appoint five or six code enforcement officers to write citations and take actions as warranted in a professional and respectful way. You had a code enforcement officer before. What happened? Could it be that the Kentucky League of Cities have promised you they will get the money for the water system if they can get control of the land by using their policies? Would you throw the citizens of Martin County under the bus to do that? Sure we need a water system but do not destroy the very lives of citizens.

Citizens of Martin County, go to the website www.klc.org and check the policies and read what this organization is all about, read the codes they are pushing. Other states have had a lot of problems with the League of Cities in their states also. Some of their policies work well in some big cities but I do not believe this is good for Martin County.

Christine Jewell

Macon, Georgia