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City staff to present citywide code-of-conduct ordinance to Carlsbad City Council
Summary
Parks and Recreation staff told the commission they will present a proposal to City Council to expand a code of conduct to all public-facing facilities and to create Municipal Code chapter 11.33 giving the city manager authority to adopt administrative procedures.
Parks and Recreation staff notified the commission that the City Council will consider, at introduction, an ordinance to expand the city's code of conduct to all public-facing facilities and to authorize the city manager to adopt accompanying administrative procedures.
Recreation Services Manager Ashley Benson told commissioners the proposal will broaden existing conduct rules to additional departments and sites beyond parks and libraries, and will provide staff and the police department additional measures for addressing noncompliance. Benson said the staff report recommends an amendment to Municipal Code chapter 2.16 to clarify that authority on conduct rests with the city manager or designee and the addition of a new Municipal Code chapter, 11.33, to provide the city manager authority to create an administrative order coupled with the code of conduct. Benson said the proposed ordinance would be introduced to council the following day and then proceed through the normal two-reading process.
Director Lancaster said the item traces to a Nov. 14, 2024, council discussion prompted by a citizen concern about dogs at Buena Vista Reservoir Park; the resulting council discussion broadened the requested scope to a citywide policy. Lancaster said the staff report includes a comparison of other nearby cities' approaches and now also references beaches and other public-facing facilities for council consideration.
Benson and Lancaster emphasized the proposal is intended to provide safeguards for staff and the public while minimizing routine reliance on enforcement. The proposal, as presented to the commission, would allow the city manager to issue administrative procedures and provide staff with an internal set of approaches and, when necessary, coordination with police. Staff asked commissioners to be aware the item will be on the City Council agenda and to provide any direction they wish through council communications.
The commission received the informational report; no formal commission action was recorded on the ordinance during the meeting.
