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Lenox considers broad City Code overhaul; proposes removing police chapter and breed-specific animal rules
Summary
City Administrator Allison Kitzman presented a chapter-by-chapter City Code recodification recommending removal of the police department chapter, deletion of breed-specific language in animal-control rules, and multiple housekeeping edits; the council agreed to retain the city's no-chickens rule and to place several items on a future agenda for public input.
Lenox City Administrator Allison Kitzman told the City Council on Nov. 10 that the city is pursuing a comprehensive recodification with Simmering Cory/Iowa Codification and will present proposed changes chapter by chapter at future meetings. The recodification is intended to align the municipal code with current practice and to remove obsolete or duplicative language.
Kitzman outlined specific proposed edits that would be brought forward for council review. She said Chapter 3 (Boundaries) will be removed as no longer mandatory under the codifier's recommendations. Proposed updates to Chapter 24 would strip employee-specific provisions from the Park and Pool Board code (section 24.07) because employment decisions are handled by the council or city administration. Chapter 26 (Golf Board) would be revised to remove the requirement that the Country Club president serve on the Golf Board and to remove record/employee sections now performed by the City. Chapter 27 provisions requiring qualifications for the City Administrator to be codified as ordinances would be removed so qualifications can be set internally.
Kitzman also described proposed changes to Chapter 28 for the Lenox Neighborhood Center, noting the city will continue to require the center to submit its annual budget by Jan. 1 but will remove duplicative records and fee-approval language (section 28.09). For Chapter 35 (Fire Department), Kitzman said language implying council appointment authority will be removed because the council does not select members of the department. She stated the city will remove the entire Police Department chapter from the code because Lenox currently has no police department.
On animal-control rules, Kitzman said the codifier recommended removing numeric limits in Chapter 55 and deleting breed-specific language in Chapter 56 in favor of focusing on an animal's temperament or behavior. According to Kitzman, the consultant advised that breed-specific provisions are difficult to enforce, are often challenged in court and therefore have been removed by many municipalities. The council discussed chickens inside city limits and agreed to retain the current code language that prohibits chickens without council approval; Kitzman said the animal-control chapter and related language will return to a future agenda for public discussion.
Kitzman also noted Chapter 74 language requiring golf cart inspections will be removed because the city does not maintain a registration or fee for golf carts.
Mayor Douglas asked that the community be informed of major chapter changes and that affected sections be placed on future agendas to allow for citizen questions and comment. The council did not take formal votes on the code edits at the Nov. 10 meeting; Kitzman said specific ordinance language will be presented in later meetings for council action.
