If Citizens Must Obey the Law, Shouldn't They Be Able to Read It?
Macon's missing online city code raises questions about transparency, accessibility, and public trust.
By Nosmo King
The Macon Police Department reminded residents that fireworks may only be discharged within city limits during specific dates and times established by city ordinance. The reminder was well-intentioned and likely necessary. After all, public safety depends upon citizens understanding the rules.
But the announcement raises a larger question:
How can citizens be expected to follow local ordinances when the ordinances themselves are not readily available online?
For years, government at every level has moved toward greater transparency. County records can be searched online. State statutes can be searched online. Federal laws can be searched online. Citizens can access court records, tax records, property records, election results, and government meetings with a few clicks.
Yet in Macon, residents seeking to review the city's ordinances face a very different experience.
The Macon City Code is not currently available in a searchable online format. Citizens wishing to review city ordinances must instead locate a printed copy and manually search through hundreds of pages of legal text. For many residents, particularly senior citizens, working families, and those with disabilities, that is a significant barrier to access.
The issue is not whether citizens should obey the law. Of course they should.
The issue is whether government has an obligation to make those laws easily accessible to the public.
The legal principle that "ignorance of the law is no excuse" is one of the oldest concepts in American jurisprudence. However, that principle assumes citizens have a reasonable opportunity to know what the law says. Transparency is not merely a convenience. It is a cornerstone of public trust.
When ordinances can be searched online, citizens can quickly answer important questions for themselves.
Can I shoot fireworks on my property?
What are the city's nuisance regulations?
What are the rules governing zoning and property maintenance?
What authority does the Board of Adjustment have?
What permits are required for construction projects?
What penalties apply for ordinance violations?
These are not obscure questions. They are questions that affect everyday life.
In an era when even small towns across Missouri provide searchable municipal codes online, the continued absence of an online Macon City Code becomes increasingly difficult to understand.
The cost of posting a searchable code online is often modest compared to the benefits. Online access reduces confusion, decreases calls to city offices, improves compliance, and promotes confidence that all citizens are operating under the same set of rules.
Most importantly, it allows government to demonstrate that it has nothing to hide.
Transparency protects citizens. It also protects elected officials and city employees. When ordinances, resolutions, and meeting records are easily accessible, misinformation has less opportunity to flourish. Facts become available to everyone equally.
This is not a partisan issue. It is not a political issue.
It is a public access issue.
Citizens should not have to wonder what the law says. They should be able to read it.
The City of Macon regularly asks its residents to obey local ordinances. That is a reasonable expectation.
Making those ordinances available online for every citizen to review should be an equally reasonable expectation.
Regards Maconites,
Nosmo King
Great point!!