Rachel Walker is the Managing Editor of The Permian Press.

What happened: Five days ago, this publication urged the Midland City Council to reject a proposed property maintenance ordinance that would have imposed roughly 75 new minimum maintenance standards on every home, business, church, and property in Midland. This morning, the ordinance died.

Many council members publicly voiced concerns before Tuesday’s meeting, and every member who spoke from the dais made clear they believed the ordinance should not move forward in its current form.

The Permian Press took a strong editorial position against the ordinance because it deserved one, and the public reaction to it was justified. What’s important to highlight now is that the council ultimately reached the same conclusion and made the right decision.

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Between the lines: I also want to be clear about my own view. My first thought when I read the ordinance was that it was one of the worst local policy proposals I had ever read. My second thought, however, was that it would never pass.

I trust that the members of this council generally share Midland’s values of private property rights, limited government, and personal responsibility. While I strongly opposed the ordinance itself, I never believed a majority of this council would support it.

The big picture: Mayor Lori Blong said council members did not receive the ordinance until after the city posted the agenda last Wednesday. She said the council’s original goal was to address unsafe and abandoned buildings, but that the staff-created ordinance was an overreach. She said that if an ordinance returns to council in the future, staff should limit it to vacant structures rather than impose maintenance standards on every property in the city.

During Tuesday’s meeting, council members repeatedly expressed frustration that the ordinance had made it onto the agenda in the first place. Blong called the situation an oversight and said it was inexcusable that council had not received the ordinance earlier in the process. She said the city would review its internal procedures moving forward.

Several council members emphasized that mistakes happened and that they would hold staff responsible, but argued that accountability should occur internally rather than through public embarrassment. Members also stressed that their goal is to correct the process and prevent similar issues from happening again. The Permian Press agrees with council on this approach.

What they’re saying:

“My apologies to you [council] and the citizens of Midland,” City Manager Tommy Gonzalez said. “That team works hard every day, but when we miss the mark, it’s on me to own it, and I do need to fix it. We have a process, and that’s my focus with staff, and it’s very disappointing, but I do take responsibility.”

“As the proposed ordinance was developed at the staff level, provisions were included that go well beyond the scope of what I believe is necessary to address vacant and dangerous structures,” Blong said. “They also go beyond our expectations of the role of city government… I value individual liberty and private property rights in Midland and will vote against anything that infringes on those rights.”

The bottom line: The public’s reaction to the ordinance was justified and defensible. However, some in the community have turned criticism of bad policy into an opportunity for personal attacks, which is unjustified.

Let’s remember that council made the right decision today. Accountability is criticizing bad policy when it appears, but it should also lead us to recognize when public officials correct course. Does accountability mean that staff members should be fired or council members should resign? I do not believe so.

What’s next: The priority of The Permian Press is to foster accountability, civic pride, and a shared sense of what Midland can become by highlighting good pro-Midland choices and admonishing the bad ones.

If you recently discovered us through our coverage of the ordinance, we’d appreciate it if you stayed with us as we work toward our goal of making Midland known as the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family.