The Marathon City Council convened on Tuesday, May 11, with a relatively light agenda, although several inspiring moments â not uncommon in small city council meetings â highlighted the evening.
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay set the tone early by recognizing and introducing a âspecial guest,â Canine Coral, one of the departmentâs drug-sniffing dogs, who entertained those on hand with some brief scurrying and sniffing throughout the audience.
Later, Mayor Luis Gonzalez introduced 6-year-old Landry Sayer, a Stanley Switlick kindergartner whoâd asked to address the city council with a short video, because âshe was trying to make a difference,â as Gonzalez explained. What followed was a short, well-produced video on how this little âtrash activist,â who walked her dog every night while also picking up trash, wanted to help clean up Marathon. After the video, Gonzalez pledged to arrange a city-wide cleanup event in the fall, based on
During a tidy, efficient, 90-minute Marathon City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 9, council members approved a variety of ordinances, but unexpectedly chose to postpone a vote on what was
The Marathon City Council agreed to create a hybrid model for code enforcement and continued the trash receptacle ordinance to next month, while approving the Coco Plum bridge projects and the kayak ramp on Grassy Key to move forward this month. Rotary Park will receive a facelift as well.
The council agreed to a hybrid model for code enforcement in which residents have the option to choose between a code board made up of their neighbors and friends or an impartial, law school-trained special magistrate. The vote was split, with John Bartus, Mayor Luis Gonzalez and Dan Zieg in favor of the hybrid model. Zieg said 80% to 90% of cases are resolved before ever coming to the magistrate. Bartus said the cityâs incorporation movement two decades ago had a code board comprised of citizens among its most desired goals, and a hybrid system is the âbest of both worlds.â
A conditional use for Marlin Bay Yacht Club and a Racetrac fuel stop and convenience store will be considered in quasijudicial hearings by the Marathon City Council when it meets
Reflection on the past year often occurs at the close of one and the start of a new year. Marathon accomplished many significant goals in 2020, but some remain priorities for 2021, especially because some are dependent on state and federal action, including funding allocations.
Marathon City Manager George Garrett said if the council wants to put together a âgoals for 2021â list, council could discuss it at the Tuesday, Jan. 12, council meeting.
A perpetual pursuit for Marathon is working to secure Florida Keys Water Quality Improvement Project funds from the federal government for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaryâs 2,800 square nautical miles of nearshore water quality, as well as canal water quality and the Keysâ wastewater and stormwater systems.