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Clay County completes in-house codification; board repeals three obsolete code sections
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Summary
County staff presented a year‑long in‑house codification of Clay County ordinances and the board voted to repeal three obsolete code sections: a dancing restriction, alarm-systems chapter, and a drug‑paraphernalia provision tied to repealed state law.
County staff told the Clay County Board of Commissioners on May 27 that an in‑house codification project has consolidated county ordinances into an updated online code and established a workflow for future updates.
Mark (last name not provided), who led the project, said titles 1 through 7 of the county code have been integrated into a new platform that allows staff to make timely edits without paying a vendor. He said title 8 (development code) remains to be added after its planned revision.
The board voted to repeal three specific, obsolete provisions the codification committee recommended removing: a dancing restriction statute (ordinance 2025‑2 referencing a repealed state statute), a long-unused alarm‑systems chapter, and a drug‑paraphernalia provision (ordinance 25‑4, title 4 chapter 4 section 1) tied to state law the legislature repealed in 2023.
County Attorney (name not provided) advised the board there is no statutory requirement to hold a public hearing when the county board repeals an ordinance that would not impose new obligations on residents; the attorney said repeals that remove obligations are not documented in statute as requiring a hearing. The board acted on each of the three repeals separately and approved all three motions by majority vote.
County staff described the new online system’s features: redline/proposal mode for edits, a workflow that tracks adoption steps, and placeholders for reserved chapter numbers. The recorder’s office, auditor and subject-matter staff participated in the codification.
Clarifying details: the codification was done in‑house over many months with recorder’s office assistance; title 8 will be added later when its revision is ready; repeals approved were limited to sections the committee identified as obsolete or unenforceable under current state law.
The board also directed staff to deliver electronic signature packets (DocuSign) for adopted ordinances so changes will publish in the online code.
