If you ever have the opportunity to travel or live in the western part of the country, you will notice that most cities have a strong planning and zoning guide that is used as the city's population grows and expands. That plan is followed without exception and insures an orderly and controlled growth.

Most western cities, large and small, have a conceptual idea of how the city will look in the future, and zoning ordinances are put into place to ensure the plan is achieved. These ordinances cover both commercial and residential development.

In the South, for years, there has been no such ordinances, which is why as you drive through the cities and counties across the southern states, you are likely to see a $400,000 house with a trailer home parked next door to it.

That is why the action taken by the Covington City Council to pass a new zoning ordinance will not only foster future growth in our city but will control the aesthetics that will help our city maintain its small town ambiance.

We encourage the council to continue to be proactive in setting building and design guidelines for the future benefit of Covington.