HomeMy WebLinkAboutD-4 Staff Report - Service of Notices OrdinanceService of Notices Ordinance
September 16, 2019
Page 1
SCHEDULED ITEM
D-4
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
VIA: SERGIO GONZALEZ, CITY MANAGER
FROM: MATT MARQUEZ, ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
SUBJECT: ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 1 SECTION 1-28 OF THE AZUSA MUNICIPAL
CODE REGARDING SERVICE OF NOTICES
BACKGROUND:
In Fiscal Year 2018/19, the City spent $9,150 on registered mail postage specifically for Administrative
Citations. Chapter 1 Section 1-28 of the Azusa Municipal Code requires that Notices of Administrative
Violation be mailed via Registered United States mail. Amending the Municipal Code to require service by
Certified United States mail would reduce costs and increase efficiency.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council take the following action:
1)Waive further reading, read by title only and introduce the following Ordinance No. 2019-02:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AZUSA, CALIFORNIA,
AMENDING CHAPTER 1 SECTION 1-28 OF THE AZUSA MUNICIPAL CODE
REGARDING SERVICE OF NOTICES
ANALYSIS:
The current process to mail a registered letter requires a significant amount of staff time to manually prepare the
registered mail slip, take the mail to the post office, and wait for the letter to be manually logged into a book.
This type of mail also takes longer to reach the recipient as it is manually logged each time it moves to a new
location. Switching to certified mail will give staff the ability to electronically process certified mail with the
ability to track the letter and receive the proof of delivery without having to go to the post office and waiting for
the letter to be processed.
APPROVED
CITY COUNCIL
9/16/19
Service of Notices Ordinance
September 16, 2019
Page 2
Due to the increasing cost of postage, mailing administrative citations via registered mail costs the City
approximately $12.90 per letter. Amending the Municipal Code to allow citations to be mailed via certified mail
will reduce the postage cost to $4.00 per letter, saving the City approximately $6,300 in postage costs annually.
The proposed Ordinance amends the Municipal Code as follows:
Sec. 1-28. – Service of notices. Service of notices required under this chapter shall be made by the
following means:
A.By personal service on the violator(s) in the same manner as a summons in a civil action; or,
B.By registered certified United States mail. Service shall be complete at the time of deposit into the
United States mail.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Municipal Code amendment will result in an annual cost savings of approximately $6,300.
Prepared by: Reviewed by:
Annette Juarez Adrian Garcia
Assistant Chief Deputy City Clerk Chief Deputy City Clerk
Fiscal Impact Review: Reviewed and Approved:
Talika M. Johnson Sergio Gonzalez
Director of Administrative Services City M anager
Attachment:
1) Proposed Ordinance No. 2019-02 amending Section 1-28 of the Azusa Municipal Code
ORDINANCE NO. 2019-02
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AZUSA,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 1 SECTION 1-28 OF THE AZUSA
MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING SERVICE OF NOTICES
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AZUSA DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS
FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 1-28 of Chapter 1 of the Azusa Municipal Code is hereby
amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 1-28. Service of Notices.
Service of notices required under this chapter shall be made by the following means:
A. By personal service on the violator(s) in the same manner as a summons in
a civil action; or,
B. By Certified United States mail. Service shall be complete at the time of
deposit into the United States mail.”
SECTION 2. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phase, or portion of
this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of
any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would
have adopted this Ordinance, and each section, subsection, subdivision, sentence,
clause, phrase or portion thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections,
subsections, subdivisions, sentences, clauses, phrases or portions might subsequently
be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 3. This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after its
adoption.
SECTION 4. The City Clerk shall certify the adoption of this Ordinance and shall
cause the same to be posted as required by law.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this __nd day of _____________ 2019.
Joseph R. Rocha
Mayor
Attachment 1
ATTEST:
Jeffrey Cornejo
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________
Marco A. Martinez, City Attorney