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Belgrade council reviews code rewrites covering administrative authority, settlement approvals and fire code overhaul
Summary
Staff proposed code changes to make administrative authority explicit (delegations from the city manager), to give the city manager settlement authority up to $80,000 per matter (non‑personnel) with reporting to council, and to repeal the antiquated Title 6 fire chapter and replace it with language recognizing Central Valley Fire District and codifying a city fire marshal role.
Councilmembers reviewed three proposed code changes staff has drafted to modernize city ordinances adopted decades ago.
First, staff proposed adding an interpretive section that would make it explicit that, except where the charter or state law says otherwise, any authority assigned in code to city officers or boards is a delegation from the city manager. Staff said the change would resolve conflicts in older code sections that predate the city manager form of government.
Second, staff proposed a civil litigation and settlement authority section designating the city manager (in consultation with the city attorney) to initiate or defend civil proceedings on behalf of the city and to approve settlement agreements up to $80,000 per matter where sufficient appropriations exist; personnel settlements would be governed by budget authority and insurance (and may fall outside the $80,000 cap). Staff said settlements exceeding the limit or involving substantial policy obligations would require council approval and that the city manager would report litigation status to council in executive session when legally permitted.
Third, staff proposed repealing and replacing the city’s old fire code chapter (adopted in 1983), which contains obsolete provisions such as listing police officers as fire personnel and requiring the mayor plus two council members to declare building demolition after a fire. The rewrite would acknowledge that Belgrade lies within the Central Valley Fire District, preserve city permitting authority, adopt modern references such as the International Fire Code where appropriate, and formally designate a city fire marshal to handle fire‑code plan review and inspections related to development.
Council members generally expressed support for clarifying authority and settlement language and raised detail questions about the settlement cap, executive‑session reporting and burn permits; staff agreed to refine drafting language and return with formal ordinance text for future action.
