Prayers for Our City: November 18, 2019 – Government
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel…” Isaiah 11:2 NIV
This week as we bless the Huntsville City Council and the Madison City Council, we thank You, Lord, for their commitment to oversee the welfare of these communities. Father, we ask that You anoint these men and women with Your Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and counsel so they will know what to do in accomplishing Your vision for Huntsville and Madison. We pray they learn to rely on the wisdom You supply in making the right use of the resources of our communities and in working justice for all our people.
We bless our city councilmen and councilwomen with the physical health and strength and the emotional endurance needed to oversee their responsibilities. Give them patience and grace to respond to the requests and demands of their district constituents. We are thankful for these overseers and commit them to You, our Great Overseer!
“Now may the God of peace … make [our leaders] complete in every good work to do His will, working in [them] what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV
See the websites for Huntsville City Council and Madison City Council. As you visit these sites, ask the Holy Spirit what blessings to pray over our leaders.
Some of the things city council men and women do:
Public Safety: Set budget and policy for police, fire, and ambulance. That might mean contracting with the county or a neighboring city or setting up one of your own. This is one area where state laws set a lot of limitations on the council managing daily operations. Still, hiring and budget are a lot of work.
Public Utilities: Public water, sewer, roads, snow plowing, streetlights, tornado sirens are all examples of city functions where the council needs to “manage the managers”. How much do you raise taxes to fix the potholes? Do you start plowing at the first snowflake, wait until the storm is over, or something in between? These decisions all require a balance between resident’s expectation (NOW!), costs (taxes are too high!), safety (that pothole nearly ripped my tire off and the city is responsible!), etc.
Zoning & Building Approval: Should we allow that new warehouse and trucking depot to be put next to a residential subdivision? I mean, it’s bringing in jobs, so what’s a little 24×7 noise and lights? It’s one of the most complex and controversial tasks a council has.
Parks & Library: Everyone likes taking kids to the park. But why do I have to drive two miles to get to one? Can’t you just put one close to me? But not too close, I don’t want to put up the traffic. And why do we let out-of-towners use the swing sets we paid for? As for libraries, “EVERYONE KNOWS” you can get everything you ever wanted on the internet for free, so why are we wasting our money on a building full of obsolete books?
Building Code: State laws define how buildings can be constructed, wired, plumbed, etc. but the enforcement is usually local and the council sets the staffing budget, license fees, etc. Within some state-defined limits, the council can add strictly local building rules as well.
Quality of Life: A hundred other things that amount to making neighbors be “good” neighbors without being an arbitrary tyrant and breaking state and federal laws.
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