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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Duluth Communications Office
Mayor Roger J. Reinert
411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
For more information, please call 218-730-5309
 
DATE: 10/12/2022
SUBJECT: Ordinance Modernization Task Force Update and Opportunity to Comment
BY: Phil Jents, Communications and Policy Officer
 

Ordinance Modernization Task Force Update and Opportunity to Comment

[Duluth, MN] On May 23, 2022 the City Council established the Ordinance Modernization Task Force to review and recommend updates to the Duluth city code. The city code is comprised of the City Charter and Legislative Chapters 1 – 51 which establish the authority, responsibilities, structures, and processes for the City of Duluth to operate. The Duluth city code has grown and changed over the last 150 years reflecting the legal, social, and economic priorities of the community. While many of the chapters have been revised and updated in part over the years, the city has not undertaken a full review and revision of the city code in recent decades. The city’s goal of this process is to benefit all community members by having a Duluth city code that is clear, consistent, and understandable.

The newly established Task Force is comprised of eight members including Council Vice President Janet Kennedy, Councilor Noah Hobbs, Councilor Azrin Awal, Chief Administrative Officer Noah Schuchman, City Attorney Rebecca St George, Human Rights Officer Carl Crawford, City Clerk Ian Johnson, and Administrative Services Director Ben VanTassel.

The Task Force is charged to review and recommend updates that reflect modern practices. Ultimately, the recommendations will go before the City Council with applicable city board and commission review when necessary. The following lenses for modernization and improvement will be used by Task Force members: 

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Strive to have fair processes and applicability; identify and eliminate potentially exclusionary components.
  • Clarity. Provide a code that is clear, consistent, and without contradiction.
  • Efficient & Enforceable. Ensure organizational capacity to efficiently administer and enforce.
  • Forward Looking. Reinforce sustainability and embrace changing technology and societal shifts.
  • Viable Community. Sustain a viable community and the vision outlined in Imagine Duluth 2035.

 

The public is encouraged to review the Duluth city code and submit comments or suggested changes. The anticipated review schedule and existing code language can be accessed through the Task Force Website, here: 

https://duluthmn.gov/city-clerk/ordinance-modernization-task-force/

In addition to submitting comments to the Task Force, the public will have additional opportunities to review final language during future adoption processes.

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