Beaumont council reviews child-safety-zone ordinance, staff urges software and phased rollout

Beaumont city officials spent the bulk of a July 7 work session reviewing a proposed ordinance that would establish child-safety zones — minimum distance buffers between certain registrants and places where children gather, like parks and schools. City staff presented legal authority and implementation options, and stressed that effective enforcement would require new software and additional police manpower.

The city attorney told council that state law permits local governments to adopt such zoning-based protections and noted the draft ordinance would grandfather in already‑approved group homes and residences. “An ordinance that would push individuals outside of the city would be heavily contested and could be unconstitutional,” the city attorney said, underlining why staff recommended careful drafting and protections for existing approved housing.

Police and planning staff said the technical burden of checks and map maintenance makes software procurement essential. The police chief said the department’s current registry system is a name database without searchability or notifications, and that the proposed system would cost an estimated $23,000 for Beaumont alone or $34,000 for a countywide deployment with participating cities. “The software alone will help us keep up with the registry,” the chief said, adding the system would improve timeliness of notifications and automated checks.

Council members focused on two key choices: how large the buffer should be and whether Beaumont should buy the software for city‑only enforcement or lead a countywide purchase under a memorandum of understanding. Councilman Crenshaw advocated for the largest buffer under staff’s legal review. “I’m in favor of the 2,000‑foot designation,” he said, calling it the maximum that staff judged not to unduly burden housing availability.

Staff described several safeguards intended to limit legal exposure, including grandfathering residents who live in approved housing at the time of adoption and avoiding rules that would create a “constructive eviction.” The city manager said the intent of the ordinance is child safety, not to push people from the city, and urged careful coordination among planning, police and IT.

Council members asked about timing and cost. Staff said vendor build‑out and procurement could take roughly 90 days from signature, and recommended an implementation date no later than Jan. 1, 2027, so that the software and public notice could be completed during the budget process. Multiple council members signaled support for pursuing a countywide MOU to share costs, while reserving the option to adopt the ordinance with a scheduled delayed effective date tied to software deployment.

Next steps: staff said they will reach out to neighboring jurisdictions to explore a countywide MOU and return to council with procurement items and a draft ordinance for formal adoption. The council did not vote on the ordinance July 7.