Colton City Council Approves First Update to City Rules and Regulations in 24 Years

In a unanimous vote, the Colton City Council approved significant revisions to the city’s personnel rules and regulations, marking the first update to these guidelines in nearly a quarter-century. Ordinance O-16-24 and Resolution R-104-24 replace outdated policies, originally adopted in 2000, with modernized standards that better align with current laws and organizational needs.

The updated regulations were necessary to maintain compliance with employment law and address changes in municipal operations. “These rules hadn’t been touched since 2000,” said Tom Cody, Colton’s Human Resources Director, during the meeting. “This update ensures compliance with current legal standards, simplifies future revisions, and removes outdated or conflicting policies.”

One key revision is the removal of seven ordinances and 34 resolutions that were embedded in the old guidelines, including Ordinance No. 1122 and Ordinance No. O-25-88, which had been in place for decades. While the specific functions of these repealed ordinances were not detailed during the meeting, Cody emphasized that their removal was necessary to streamline the city’s personnel regulations. “We’ve removed outdated ordinances that no longer align with current laws, making it easier to update the rules going forward,” Cody explained.

Dr. G raised concerns during the session, asking for clarification about the frequency of future updates, pointing out that these rules had not been reviewed in nearly 25 years. “It’s essential we establish a routine review process to avoid falling behind like this again,” Dr. G commented. Cody responded that moving forward, the city should aim to review and update these regulations every five years.

Councilmember Kelly Chastain sought further details on the specific changes beyond eliminating redundant information. Cody outlined several key revisions, including the removal of conflicting policies with employee association agreements (MOUs). He emphasized that these MOUs take precedence, so the new rules now refer readers to the MOUs for the most up-to-date policies. “We wanted to create a more flexible system that can be updated without major overhauls each time laws change,” he explained.

The comprehensive update follows more than a year of collaboration between the city’s management team and its nine employee associations, which were given an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed changes before the council vote. “It was important to involve all stakeholders to ensure that these regulations are practical and beneficial to both management and employees,” Cody added.

The council’s approval of Ordinance O-16-24 and Resolution R-104-24 positions Colton to efficiently manage personnel matters while adapting to legal and operational changes in the future.