To settle a lawsuit that challenged the city’s sidewalk-clearing efforts, the City Council approved paying $48,500 to 21 homeless individuals. And, the city must be more careful in how it enforces the Stored Property Ordinance and Sidewalk Nuisance Ordinance.

The settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union stipulates the city must stop disposing of personal property, including tents, bicycles, clothing and household goods. A councilman said the settlement offered a minimal amount of money to the plaintiffs and resulted in clearer sidewalk-clearing policies.

But the $48,500 doesn’t include attorney’s fees, which will be addressed separately.

Case is on the case over DLNR permits

Kudos to state Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Suzanne Case for tackling head-on one chronic problem that she inherited: “temporary” revocable land permits that have been laxly managed.

A new eight-person task force will look into the program, which operates without rules and includes some 340 “month-to-month” permits that receive scant review and are simply renewed in bulk, some for decades.

The revocable-permits program is no doubt complex, but at least Case and company are taking a much-needed step to improve execution and oversight, under a fairly aggressive, this-year timeline. Let’s dare to hope.