American Legal Publishing Ordinance Codification and Web Hosting Services Colleen T. Engle

History: American Legal Publishing began as the codification division of Anderson Publishing Company 81 years ago in 1934. In 1979, we became American Legal Publishing Company. The corporation became employee owned in 2006. Began partnership with League twelve years ago in 2006. American Legal currently serves nearly 2,100 local governments across the country, including 25 municipalities in Arizona.

What is Ordinance Codification The arrangement of laws systematically. A municipal code is an organization of local legislation by subject matter, from the general to the specific. Compilation is the organizing of existing ordinances, usually by subject matter, and then placing the ordinances in chronological order within each subject. Compilation is the first step in codification.

Codification finishes the job Codifying includes removing repealed or obsolete ordinances and editing for proper grammar, consistency and clarity. Codifying also encompasses formatting the material into user-friendly titles, chapters and sections, and supplementing with new ordinances. The result is one body of current, enforceable law.

Why Codification is necessary Efficient government: Municipal employees can function more efficiently with the current law between two covers, organized, indexed and at their finger tips online. Public access to current law: The public must have access to the law in order to determine the standard of conduct required. Ease of enforcement: All current ordinances on a given subject are contained in one portion of the code, such as a chapter or section. The administration of the regulations and the penalties are set out clearly within that portion of the code.

Good government: Furthermore, codification is a method of good government. With the erosion of sovereign immunity, municipalities are now facing multitudes of civil rights lawsuits. It is more important than ever that the municipality have up-to-date, clearly written, accessible laws. Acts as roadmap for legislative body: Codification helps to deter the municipal legislative body from enacting redundant or inconsistent new ordinances, and lets the council or board view the body of law as a whole and note any gaps in coverage which may need legislation.

Elements of a Code Every element of the code should enhance the ability of code users to locate what they are searching for, whether a user is the city attorney, a council member, or a citizen wanting to start a home business or research a topic. A typical code should be loose-leaf for ease of supplementation A Code should be hosted online for ease of access via city staff and citizens. Also, immediate updates take place. ✓ Cover page that indicates most recently enacted legislation included ✓ Table of contents ✓ Charter, if any ✓ Body of code ✓ Parallel reference tables ✓ Index

CODIFICATION PROCESS The codifier will receive copies of all legislation enacted by the municipality. The codifier will review the legislation to determine that which is current, amended, and repealed in order to eliminate conflicts between ordinances as well as replication. The codifier will organize the legislation by subject matter from the general to the specific into chapters and sections according to an industry standard numbering system. The municipality will receive a draft manuscript of the code. The municipality will receive a written legal and editorial report which will indicate discrepancies between local ordinances and state and federal law as well as internal inconsistencies and gaps in coverage. The municipality will receive the final printing of the code with binders.

SUPPLEMENTATION A municipality may begin the supplementation process immediately after initial codification by regularly submitting (generally via email) new ordinances. Supplements may be published as often as necessary: monthly, quarterly, or annually, or on any other schedule that suits the municipality's needs. Online codes may be updated immediately after the council meeting where the item passes by council vote.

Codes hosted on the Internet 24 hour access by the public, law enforcement officers, code enforcement officers, department heads Searchable (Synonyms, Boolean [and/or], etc. Print capability Email Capability Save to MS Word/PDF

Why the League’s Program with American Legal? Qualifications Experience Professionalism Flexibility Services

Qualifications of American Legal Publishing: Most editors have a degree in English; many have advanced degrees. There are 16 staff attorneys, including the President of the company (who is also the Law Director of an Ohio city, and a former city Mayor). No other codification firm has more attorneys. Our attorney to client ratio is the best in the business. Customer service reps include a former council member. Nearly half of the employees are owners of the company.

Experience: Our Clients Arizona National Tucson Yuma Lake Havasu City Payson El Mirage Sierra Vista Williams …….. 25 cities in AZ Chicago Philadelphia Dallas Honolulu Los Angeles Cleveland New York City

Professionalism: State Municipal Leagues League of Arizona Cities and Towns League of Oregon Cities League of Minnesota Cities League of Nebraska Municipalities Indiana Association of Cities and Towns North Carolina League of Municipalities South Dakota Municipal League League of Wisconsin Municipalities Ohio Municipal League League of Kansas Municipalities International Municipal Lawyers Association International Institute of Municipal Clerks

Services: Online Posting of Charter, Municipal Code and Planning Code Updating Codes when new ordinances are adopted Posting links to ordinances online prior to codification Issuing updates to printed version of codes Providing Searchable CD versions Republication of codes Legal and Editorial Reviews (including review of prior editing work) Subscriber order fulfillment Online archival of documents Model Ordinances

Folio/Internet: Searchable - Every word is indexed (not just key words). Simple and Advanced searches, including synonyms. CD/Network version can be customized by user to include Highlights, Book Marks, Pop-Up Notes, Jump Links. Can print and export into word processing programs and Open Data programs.

Folio/Internet: View and download entire chapters (PDF, RTF (Word), HTML, MOBI and EPUB) Advance Legislation List Online code updated as legislation passes Email, print, bookmark and link to code sections Google Translate Mobile device views

Online: Computers, Phones, Tablets