If a state of emergency is

declared in Fayette County, the county now has a set of ordinances to

keep the government running and promote public safety.

Last week, the Fayette County

Commission unanimously approved a set of ordinances drafted by Department

of Fire and Emergency Services Director Jack Krakeel.

The ordinances go into place

when the Governor calls a state of emergency, which was called several

times during the 1990s, Krakeel said. Most of the county's previous emergency

declarations occurred because of floods, he added.

The ordinances actually cover

four areas; waiving procedures and fee structure, registration of building

contractors, prohibition of overcharging and institution of curfew.

In waiving procedures, the

ordinance allows the local governing body to call a meeting by the chairman

or two members of the board.

Commission Vice-Chairman Linda

Wells suggested the number should be increased to three, but Chairman

Greg Dunn said two is plenty.

"I've been in those situations

and you're really lucky to find one person," he said.

Wells said she was just trying

to prevent situations such as when former President Ronald Reagan was

shot and Gen. Alexander Haig declared himself in charge of the situation.

Fees could also be suspended

or reduced in a state of emergency.

The ordinance also requires

all building contractors who want to help clean up any damage to be registered

with the county.

Krakeel said this is done to

make sure residents can feel confident in the work they need to get done.

The director also said the

ordinance looks harshly at price gouging. If a business person attempts

to overcharge residents in an emergency period, a fine of $1,000 and jail

time of 60 days could be imposed for each violation.

Finally, the board is allowed

to impose a curfew. Under conditions of the curfew, only "exempt

individuals," such as public safety, medical, media and military

would be allowed to be on the streets during the curfew.

Krakeel thanked the board for

their support, and said the county has been working on the ordinances

long before Sept. 11 occurred.

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