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Council updates civil infraction rules, adopts tiered penalties and escalation clause
Summary
The council adopted Ordinance 2024-23 to modernize Chapters 1.16 and 1.18 of the municipal code, creating a Class A/B/C civil-infraction structure with an escalation clause for repeat offenses and a process to standardize fines across the code. Staff stressed fines are a last resort; escalation applies if the same violation recurs within 180 days.
Council adopted Ordinance 2024-23 on second reading to standardize and modernize the city's civil-infraction procedures across municipal code chapters. Staff said the changes were drafted following a code-enforcement task force and legal review and update long-outdated provisions last revised in the 1970s and 1980s.
The ordinance removes a short, outdated criminal-offense provision from Chapter 1.16, consolidates fine authority in Chapter 1.18, and establishes a three-tier class structure for civil infractions (Class A, B and C) so the same categories can be referenced from other code chapters instead of repeating dollar amounts. The code also includes an escalation clause: a second infraction of the same violation within 180 days can be subject to up to double the original fine. Staff emphasized the city intends enforcement to focus on compliance and education and that fines are a last resort for repeat or egregious noncompliance.
Councilors asked questions about gendered pronoun language and how the new structure interacts with existing park exclusions, tree-cutting penalties and judicial discretion for fines; staff said those operational issues will be addressed in follow-up code updates and administrative guidance.
The council approved the ordinance on first reading and then adopted it by voice vote on second reading during the same meeting.
