Derby council adopts updated Uniform Public Offense Code with local amendments

The Derby City Council on Sept. 9 adopted the Uniform Public Offense Code (UPOC) in electronic form with certain local amendments and approved a follow‑up ordinance to reorganize and retain local provisions outside the UPOC.

City Attorney Jackie Butler explained the city will move from a locally compiled book‑style code to a licensed, searchable electronic UPOC maintained through the League of Kansas Municipalities and annotated with Derby’s local amendments. “Substantively, we’re not making a lot of changes to what you had in your code because we made extensive effort to have what we had in the code largely match state law,” Butler said, explaining the change is primarily structural and intended to make updates simpler each legislative session.

Butler said Derby will retain more restrictive local provisions where permitted, including the city’s Clean Indoor Air ordinance and expanded cruelty‑to‑animals language. She also noted the move adds some offenses from the UPOC that were not previously in Derby’s code so the police department would have the statutory options available if enforcement were warranted.

Council member Jackie Coleman moved adoption of the ordinance (described in the meeting as the “40 40 first edition” of the UPOC with local amendments) and a companion ordinance to update local Title 9 provisions; the motions passed unanimously, 7‑0. Butler told the council a traffic‑offense code update will be brought forward at the next meeting.

Clarifying detail: staff said the electronic license will allow staff to maintain Derby‑specific annotations online and streamline annual updates tied to legislative changes.