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Airway Heights council adopts rewritten code-enforcement and penalty chapters prioritizing voluntary compliance
Summary
Council unanimously approved repeal and replacement of chapters 14.07 and 1.16 of the Airway Heights municipal code to clarify notice procedures, voluntary compliance agreements and penalties tied to noncompliance, according to staff briefing during a public hearing.
The Airway Heights City Council voted unanimously to repeal and replace two municipal-code chapters to update the city's code-enforcement procedures and associated penalties, staff said during a public hearing and first-reading actions.
Staff described two ordinances: one replacing chapter 14.07 to clarify enforcement steps such as a notice of correction (an advisory letter), notice of violation and voluntary compliance agreements, and another replacing chapter 1.16 to adopt new penalties for noncompliance. "This is predominantly involved in repealing the existing chapter 14.07 and replacing it with a new chapter that specifically identifies how we do a notice of correction," staff said during the briefing.
Staff emphasized the updated approach centers on voluntary compliance for development-standard and single-family property issues; criminal matters or serious violations would still be handled by the police or through appropriate criminal channels. The revised penalty chapter, staff said, is intended to tie penalties to the enforcement process rather than replace the emphasis on voluntary resolution.
There were no public commenters during the hearing. The council suspended rules to allow passing ordinances on first reading and approved both ordinances that evening; council members thanked outgoing commissioners and moved on to other business.
The change takes effect as the city follows its standard ordinance-adoption and implementation procedures; staff indicated the amendments will provide clearer enforcement steps and timelines for property owners and businesses.
