“One man’s meat …”

Until two years ago, I lived for more than a dozen years in a subdivision with a very active (I could even use the word "domineering," even "dictatorial") homeowners association. It had its rules and anyone who disobeyed them not only faced the prospect of steep fines but even legal action.

Some of its rules were patently illegal (for instance a prohibition against installing Direct-TV-type mini-satellite dishes), and some I found excessive (a requirement to install, at the homeowners expense, expensive lighting fixtures in alleyways when I believed a less costly alternative would have accomplished the same result).

This latter lighting requirement was designed to promote public safety, according to the homeowners association and, indeed, the requirement was supported by the city’s police department, the theory being prowlers are less likely to prey on well-lit areas than on darkened ones.

In addition, the homeowners association had its own citizens’ patrol outfit that cruised the subdivision after sundown specifically looking for suspicious types wandering around, especially in the alleys that provided the entrances to our garages and from where our garbage and recycling were picked up. The better lit the alleyways after dark, the easier it was to spot potential trouble.

I find it interesting that the precise light that my former homeowners association required all residents to install in the fixture right above their garage entrances is exactly the same one pictured on page 13 of a proposed :dark skies ordinance to be considered the Kyle Planning & Zoning Commission at its meeting Tuesday that’s labeled a "prohibited fixture."

So I guess it comes down to what is the local priority: "curtail light pollution, reduce sky glow and improve nighttime environment for astronomy," which is listed as one of the goals of this ordinance, or public safety, specifically crime prevention.

As the saying goes, "One man’s meat is another man’s poison."

Here is the complete agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.