Committee forwards 70‑page administrative code, including phased ethics enforcement, to full council

Solicitor Barry Handwerger presented Administration Bill 18-20-25, a consolidated administrative code that compiles rules previously governed by the third‑class city code and optional charter law into a single document (approximately 70 pages). The ordinance includes an ethics code and a phased approach to enforcing ethics complaints: enforcement mechanisms would be delayed until Jan. 1, 2027 to allow the ethics commission and staff to hire an investigator, establish complaint forms and processes, and conduct required education for city employees and officials.

Handwerger also described provisions affecting civil service and police ranks, including a change to make detective a rank rather than an appointment and a proposed grandfathering clause so current detectives would retain their status without retesting. The code further calls for creating a registry for appointments to boards and commissions by April 1, 2026.

Councilors thanked staff for the work; the committee voted to move the administrative code ordinance to the Dec. 9 full council meeting for first reading.