Government is a layered model in the United States.
There is the federal level, the state level, and the county level all working in the best interest of the citizens those bodies serve.
There is also local municipal government, which passes regulations aimed at making Highlands specifically a safe, prosperous and efficient place to live and work.
During the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak those government layers are all working together to combat the spread of the virus. On Monday, that good faith effort included a proclamation approved unanimously by the Highlands town board that closed all hotels, motels and rentals in town limits.
The intent of the proclamation was to keep visitors from potentially higher-risk areas for COVID-19 from coming to Highlands and thus bringing the virus with them. It’s a measure that is unprecedented, and one that none of the commissioners took any joy in approving.
Keeping Highlands residents safe is at the heart of the proclamation and that intent is to be applauded.
As with all legislation, it was the details that took up most of the discussion time during the town board meeting.
The impact of limiting rentals, originally designated as “short-term rentals” before a language amendment, is unknown. Stopping hotels and motels from operating, as a way to also stop vacation rentals by owner, is a broad step, that as commissioner John ‘Buz’ Dotson pointed out doesn’t stop people from travelling to or through Highlands in coming days and weeks.
The proclamation also doesn’t stop second home owners, of which Highlands has many, from coming to town. There is little any legislative body can do to keep people from their rightfully owned property.
Despite town attorney Jay Coward’s assertion that the town board now possesses “basically totalitarian power” under the Emergency Powers Act, a proclamation alone is not going to keep COVID-19 away. In fact, a second confirmed case connected to Highlands was made public just hours after the town board’s action.
It’s up to all of us to slow the spread of COVID-19 by putting the Center for Disease Control’s precautions into action and by maintaining social distancing practices. Local government is doing the best it can, but expecting any layer of government to fix a pandemic is illogical.