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City attorney outlines new state laws taking effect July 1 and local implementation steps
Summary
Laura Carini summarized several state law changes effective July 1 — zoning updates, FOIA agenda restrictions, Conflict of Interest web filing, an annual gun buyback requirement, expanded absentee-voting hours and a new cause of action allowing localities to sue landlords over uninhabitable housing — and said staff will implement required code changes and processes.
City Attorney Laura Carini briefed the legislative committee on July 6 about state statutory changes that took effect July 1 and that require city action or implementation.
Carini told the committee that many of the changes relate to zoning and that state code overrides city code where conflicts exist. She noted a Freedom of Information Act change that generally prevents adding items to a published agenda except in very narrow circumstances and described a new Conflict of Interest filing requirement that will use the state’s web-file system for local officials. "Many of those are related to zoning, and of course, state code trumps city code," she said, and added that staff would work with planning and other departments to update local ordinances.
Carini also said the law requires the city to have an annual gun buyback program and expands absentee-voting access by mandating that absentee voting locations be open a minimum of five hours on the second and third Sundays prior to an election. She told the committee that the city now has an additional tool to pursue landlords where units are found to be uninhabitable, subject to required notice and procedural safeguards.
Why this matters: the changes have operational consequences for the clerk’s office, planning, procurement, code enforcement and public-safety departments. Carini said staff will circulate memos and work with departments to implement required changes.
Next steps: the attorney’s office will follow up with counsel and departments to provide detailed guidance and timelines for local code updates and program implementation.
