Decatur City council members discussed Ordinance 254619, which would replace the city's 2009 property maintenance code with the 2018 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code.

Staff explained the change would modernize the city's enforcement text and align it with the permitting and code-enforcement software the city is implementing. "We're going from a 2009 to 2018," said an unidentified staff member leading the presentation. Staff also said they propose removing some fee language from the published ordinance and adjusting certain dates, such as heating requirements, "to fit our region down here."

A staff speaker flagged a publishing error in the draft ordinance: the document listed an amendment to section 111 twice and included a section 14 that staff said should be numbered as section 5. That speaker recommended moving the published section 14 up to number 5 and clarified which board will hear appeals, noting the Board of Appeals of Construction Industry is intended to hear these cases rather than the Community Preservation Board as printed.

Council members then focused on how summons and notices would be served under the revised code. A council member asked whether certified mail could be used for some notices to speed the process. Staff said certain notices (for example, unsafe-building notices) are already sent certified, but that issuing a summons and the mechanics of service would involve the magistrate's office and the legal department. "The police department serves in person," staff said, and added that manpower shortages can delay service. Council requested staff research the legal feasibility of using certified mail for service and to check relevant state code language before finalizing the ordinance.

No formal vote on the ordinance is recorded in the transcript. Staff did not present a final ordinance amendment on the record; council directed staff to follow up with legal and the magistrate's office and to return with recommended language or procedures.