Glendale council repeals three ordinances after legal challenge; mayor expresses pedestrian-safety concern
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Summary
Council voted to repeal three previously amended ordinances after staff advised removing language being challenged in court; mayor said he voted aye but remains worried about pedestrian safety and staff said it will continue to pursue safety measures.
The Glendale City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 9 to repeal three ordinances that staff said contain language currently challenged in litigation. City Attorney Michael Bailey told council the challenged language could be removed to return the ordinances to their prior wording and avoid costly litigation.
Bailey told the council that, after reviewing a lawsuit filed against the city, staff recommend repealing ordinance O22-66, O22-67 and O23-04 “to eliminate the alleged offending language and return the ordinances to the language that existed prior to the adoption of the alleged offending language.” He said staff would continue to pursue pedestrian- and vehicle-safety measures in other ways.
A council member moved to repeal the ordinances as stated by Bailey; the vice mayor seconded the motion. The council conducted a roll-call vote; every member voting recorded an affirmative vote. Chair Jerry P. Weyers, while voting aye, said he was concerned about pedestrian safety and hoped the repeal would not “work backwards” on the city’s safety goals.
No new ordinance language was adopted at the meeting; the council’s action removed the contested amendments and restored the earlier ordinance text pending further staff work. The city attorney’s office said staff will continue to explore measures to address pedestrian and vehicle safety that are not subject to the current litigation.
The motion carried by roll call.
