Central council delays overhaul of development code, fee schedule and standards manual

The City Council of Central voted unanimously to delay action on proposed amendments to Title 7 of the Unified Development Code (UDC), a related fee resolution and the city—s Development Policies and Standards Manual, moving those items to the June 24 meeting.

Council members said the package contains many substantive definition and enforcement changes and that more time was needed to review penalties and fee language. Council member Laverne made the substitute motion to defer, which was seconded by Council member Wells and approved by roll call.

The measures before the council would consolidate and update UDC definitions and enforcement provisions and codify that the council sets a fee schedule by resolution while the ordinance revises administrative code language. Melissa, a staff planner, told the council she had increased the fines in the draft resolution to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index since the fines were last changed: "I summarized those in the staff report." Counsel (city attorney) explained the split: the ordinance updates the code and the council would adopt fees separately by resolution.

Why it matters: the package would alter how the city defines uses and enforcement authority (including language that refers to a "building official" being changed to the mayor or the mayor—s designee), update many land‑use definitions (accessory dwelling units, commercial vehicle, daycare centers, group homes and others), and raise penalties tied to the fee schedule — changes that affect permitting, inspections and enforcement across the city.

Council members and staff identified several specific concerns they said required fuller review. Council member Lazaro questioned multiple definition changes and asked for clarity about who acts as the building official. Council member Barn said she opposed raising fines and called for a more modest fee approach: "I don't think we need the money. I don't think it should be revenue generating." Other members asked for comparisons to current fines and for staff to highlight where definitions differ from state or departmental standards.

Staff told the council that adopting the ordinance alone would not automatically increase fees; the fee schedule would remain unchanged until the council adopted a separate resolution establishing new amounts. Melissa said the proposed fines in the forthcoming resolution were adjusted "in relation to the Consumer Price Index" since the last update.

The council also noted dozens of new or revised definitions in the draft UDC that could change prior council decisions on topics such as borrow pits, manufactured and modular homes, and disturbance permits. Several council members said those items merited detailed line‑by‑line discussion rather than a single meeting debate.

Next steps: Council members asked staff to supply side‑by‑side comparisons to the existing code and current fee schedule, to flag definitions that reference external departments or state definitions, and to circulate suggested edits before the June 24 meeting so the council can address the items more efficiently when the package returns.

Ending: Because the ordinance and the fee resolution were split across separate agenda items, the council voted separately to defer both the UDC ordinance and the related resolutions; both were carried by roll call with all members voting in favor of deferral.