The Butler Township commissioners approved a motion Monday that should be on every municipality's agenda at least once every five or 10 years.

The commissioners' action authorizes formation of a committee of township officials to review all township ordinances and recommend revisions, where deemed necessary.

Many municipalities have ordinances on their books that have provisions that are incomplete or outdated, are not far-reaching enough based on new developments or issues, or, in some instances, should have been removed from the books decades ago because they have no current relevance. This Butler Township ordinance exercise, in addition to weeding out unnecessary measures, will allow the commissioners to close gaps in the municipality's laws that could pose problems at some time in the future.

The exercise also could help the commissioners identify issues that should be addressed in an ordinance, but currently aren't.

The commissioners are setting a good example. Other municipalities should imitate their action.

As part of their review, the commissioners should make a recommendation on when they or their successors should again review the laws under which the township operates.