Code of Ordinances ReviewMEMORANDUM
August 27, 2002
TO:The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT:Code of Ordinances Review
In July 2000 the City entered into a contract with Sterling Codifiers to do a
comprehensive legal review of the City's Code of Ordinances. The final report from that
review was recently received.
Corporation Counsel Barry Lindahl, Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser and City
Clerk Jeanne Schneider are proposing to go through the Code chapter by chapter with
the affected department manager(s). These meeting would occur once a month for a
period of nine months. The outcome of each meeting would be a series of
recommended changes to that section of the ordinance and the effect of the changes to
local policy. These recommendations would then be forwarded to City Council for
approval.
Direction is requested from the City Council if they would like the recommended
ordinance changes brought to them each month for adoption, or provide them with a
monthly update on the changes proposed and adopt the necessary ordinances at the
end of the review, anticipated to be June/July 2003.
_____________________
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Jeanne F. Schneider, City Clerk
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
August 27, 2002
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Jeanne F. Schneider, City Clerk
SUBJECT: Code of Ordinances Review
In July 2000, the City entered into a contract with Steding Codifiers to do a comprehensive
legal review of the City's Code of Ordinances. The final report from that review was recently
received.
Corporation Counsel Barry Lindahl, Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser and I met last
week to determine how best to implement the recommendations from that review. We felt it
would be appropriate for us to go through the recommended changes with the affected
department manager(s), while at the same time determining whether there were other
changes we felt should be made to the Code. From what Barry and I can determine, the
entire Code has not been reviewed since at least 1976.
At this time we are proposing to go through the Code chapter by chapter with the affected
department manager(s). These meetings would occur once a month for a period of nine
months and a tentative schedule is attached. The outcome of each meeting would be a series
of recommended changes to that section of the ordinance and the effect of the changes to
local policy. These recommendations would then be forwarded to City Council for approval.
The one question we have is how to involve the City Council in the process. We have
discussed two ways to involve them. The first option would be to bdng the recommended
ordinance changes to them each month for adoption; or second, provide them with a monthly
update on the changes proposed and adopt the necessary ordinances at the end of the
review, anticipated to be June/July 2003.
The requested action is for you to provide direction on which ordinance review option you
would like us to use for City Council approval.
_________________
Jeanne F. Schneider
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
SCHEDULE FOR REVIEW
OF THE
CITY OF DUBUQUE CODE OF ORDINANCES
In attendance at all meetings: Jeanne Schneider, Barry Lindahl, Cindy
Steinhauser, Bill Blum
October
Chapter 1 - General Provisions
Chapter 2 - Administration
Chapter 3 - Advertising
Chapter 4 - Airport
Chapter 5 - Alcoholic Beverages
Participants: Laura Carstens, Randy Peck, Andrew Perry, Rich Russell, Ken
TeKippe, Klm Wadding, Sue Winter
November
Chapter 6 - Amusements
Chapter 7 - Animals and Fowl
Chapter 9 - Bicycles
Chapter 10 - Boats, Boating and Waterfront Structures
Chapter 11 - Buildings and Building Regulations
Participants: Mary Rose Corrigan, Rich Russell, Don Vogt, Klm Wadding, Sue
Winter
December
Chapter 13 - Civic Center
Chapter 14 - Civil Defense
Chapter 15 - Community Development
Chapter 17 - Elections
Chapter 18 - Electricity
Chapter 19 - Fire Prevention and Protection
Participants: Bill Baum, Tom Berger, Dan Brown, Laura Carstens, David Harris,
Rich Russell, Paula Wolf
January
Chapter 20 - Flood Damage Control
Chapter 21 - Food Establishments and Hotel Sanitation
Chapter 22 - Garbage, Trash and Refuse
Chapter 23 - Health and Sanitation
Chapter 24 - Hearing, Air Conditioning and Ventilating
Participants: Mary Rose Corrigan, Mike Koch, Rich Russell, Don Vogt
February
Chapter 25 - Historical Preservation
Chapter 26 - Housing Regulations
Chapter 27 - Human Relations
Chapter 29 - Junk Dealers, Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers
Chapter 30 - Library
Participants: Laura Camtens, David Harris, Kelly Larson, Susan Henricks, Sue
Winter
March
Chapter 31 - Licenses and Miscellaneous Regulations
Chapter 32 - Motor Vehicles and Traffic
Chapter 33 - Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions
Chapter 34 - Parks and Recreation
Chapter 35 - Peddlers and Transient Merchants
Participants: Mary Rose Corrigan, Mike Koch, Gil Spence, Klm Wadding, Sue
Winter
April
Chapter 36 - Planning, Zoning
Chapter 37 - Plumbing
Chapter 38 - Police
Chapter 39 - Railroads
Chapter 40 - Solid Waste
Participants: Laura Camtens, Paul Horsfall, Mike Koch, Rich Russell, Don Vogt
May
Chapter 41 - Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places
Chapter 42 - Subdivision Regulations
Chapter 43 - Taxation
Chapter 44 - Utilities
Chapter 45 - Vegetation
Participants: Laura Carstens, Mary Rose Corrigan, Merrill Crawford, Bob Green,
Paul Horsfall, Pauline Joyce, Mike Koch, Ken TeKippe
June
Chapter 46 - Vehicles for Hire and Public Transportation
Appendix A, Zoning
Participants: Laura Carstens, Mark Munson