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Goodland gives code officers power to issue municipal citations under new ordinance
Summary
The commission approved ordinance 17-86 authorizing building officials and code enforcement officers to sign complaints and issue municipal citations for animal, nuisance, streets and zoning chapters to streamline enforcement; the city attorney described review safeguards.
The Goodland City Commission approved ordinance 17-86 on Oct. 7 to allow the building official or code enforcement officer to sign complaints and issue citations for violations of selected municipal code chapters, including animals (chapter 2), dangerous/unfit structures (chapter 7), streets and alleys (chapter 15) and zoning (chapter 19).
City Attorney counsel explained the current process requires code staff to document violations and the city attorney to draft and file formal complaints; the proposed change would let code staff sign complaints and issue citations after internal review, reducing procedural steps for routine enforcement while preserving attorney review when necessary.
Proponents said many other communities permit similar authority and that the change would speed abatement for nuisances, blocked sidewalks and safety hazards. The ordinance passed on a voice/roll call vote after a short discussion.
Staff said the measure intends to preserve safeguards — photos, written reports and attorney oversight for contested matters — and to limit the citation authority to the specific chapters noted in the ordinance text.
