Gold Hill adopts ordinance updating municipal penalties, deferring fine amounts to future resolution

The Gold Hill City Council adopted Ordinance 25-02 on Jan. 21, 2025, replacing the city—s outdated general penalty section in Title 1 of the municipal code and directing that specific fine amounts be set later by council resolution.

City Manager Lily Morgan presented the ordinance, saying the code section had not been updated since 1987 and that the ordinance would remove fixed numeric fine limits and instead authorize the council to set fine levels by resolution. "There will be penalties... but they will be set by resolution," Morgan said while reading the proposed text. The ordinance repeals the prior general penalty chapter and replaces it with an infraction-based structure in which the judge determines the amount within limits set by later resolution.

After the manager read the ordinance in full, a council member moved to proceed with a second reading by title only and later moved to adopt the ordinance. The motion to adopt was seconded and carried by roll call. The city manager clarified that, consistent with most city ordinances, the new rule will take effect 30 days after passage.

Why it matters: Council members said the existing code would not cover the city—s enforcement costs and often used an alphabetic violation scheme that was inconsistent with state practice. The ordinance is intended to modernize enforcement language, create a predictable process for setting fines, and allow the city to recover enforcement costs rather than rely on century-old fine amounts.

What the ordinance does: It replaces Title 1, Chapter 1.20 (general penalty) with new sections that define infractions, set enforcement and trial procedures (preponderance of the evidence standard for infractions), remove any right to a jury trial for infractions, and provide that a schedule of fines will be established by resolution. The ordinance also includes standard clauses on failure to appear and enforcement mechanisms and states the text will be effective 30 days after adoption.

Council discussion and process: Councilors asked how daily violations would be handled and whether fines could accumulate; the manager explained that each day of continued noncompliance constitutes a separate infraction subject to separate fines and that the city would first seek voluntary compliance, then escalate with notices and, if necessary, referral to justice court under the city—s intergovernmental agreement with Jackson County. Morgan said the judge would have discretion to adjust fines in appropriate cases.

Next steps: Staff will return with a resolution that establishes the schedule of fines and associated administrative procedures. The city manager and legal counsel will prepare the resolution language and recommended fine levels for council consideration.

Attribution: Quotes and attributions in this article are to speakers listed on the meeting transcript: City Manager Lily Morgan (city manager) and members identified in the council roll call and motions. The transcript records the reading, motion, second, and roll-call adoption of Ordinance 25-02.