Council approves first reading of rewritten municipal code sections for utilities; board and staff say changes align code with current utility practice

The Lenoir City Council approved a first reading of a substantially rewritten portion of the city municipal code that updates provisions for utilities and related sections, city staff said.

City staff described the item as a cleanup and consolidation of the municipal code that had not been comprehensively revised since the late 1990s and that had been informally amended in subsequent years. Council members were told the document incorporates policy and operational changes made by the utility over the past decade and that redlined edits were prepared in 2022.

Why it matters: Staff said the changes are intended to bring the ordinance text into alignment with policies the utility has been following for years, to make enforcement and administration clearer, and to ensure that the municipal code references the correct organizational names and authorities.

What the council approved: The council voted to approve the rewritten sections on first reading. City Attorney Johnson and Councilmember Shields made and seconded the motion, respectively, and the motion passed on a roll-call vote. Staff said the vote approves only the municipal code sections that fall under the utility board’s authority; city staff and the city attorney will continue work on other code sections that remain under separate city responsibility.

Key points discussed during the presentation and debate: - Staff said the original municipal code dates to 1997 and received a partial update in February 2010; the draft presented to council is intended to reconcile the old code with policies adopted by the utility board since then. - Presenters told the council that some utility infrastructure and operating practices do not match the older language in the code (for example, where utility infrastructure sits relative to city right-of-way), and the rewrite is intended to reflect actual, current practice. - Council members expressed concern that the ordinance text, as submitted, did not include an exhibit or track-changes version that a member of the public could use to see what specifically changed. Council members asked staff to attach or otherwise provide redline or exhibit material showing edits before final adoption so future readers can understand what was changed. - Staff acknowledged responsibility for consolidating the edits and said redline material exists and would be distributed; the presenter said some departments completed their sections earlier and others did not, which delayed full consolidation. - The council discussed whether the rewrite should be tabled to allow public review. Staff and some council members replied that the utility board portion had been under review by department heads and the utility board for years, but other council members asked for additional time and for clearer documentation of changes for public review.

Irrigation policy and water conservation: During the same segment, staff and council discussed an alternate irrigation (water-conservation) policy that the utility’s power board adopted previously. Staff described the policy as a conservation measure aimed at reducing simultaneous irrigation demand on the drinking-water system (the policy applies to accounts with permanently installed irrigation systems and generally does not affect domestic household service accounts).

Staff said the policy was adopted by the utility board last year and that the utility planned to publicize a tentative paving/listing of projects and irrigation schedules on the city website and via other outreach channels. Staff urged that notices include the caveat “subject to change” because project lists and schedules can shift with bids and material costs.

Next steps: Council approved the ordinance on first reading. Staff said they will provide redline/exhibit materials and will continue coordination with the city attorney and other departments on portions of code outside the utility board’s authority before the ordinance returns for second reading and final adoption.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article include the presenting utility department manager, City Attorney Johnson and multiple council members who participated in the debate. Direct quotations were not attributed where the transcript did not provide a clear, full-name identification tied to the quote.