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

2. History:
American Legal Publishing began as the codification division of Anderson Publishing Company 81 years ago in In 1979, we became American Legal Publishing Company. The corporation became employee owned in 2006.
Began partnership with League eleven years ago in 2006.
American Legal currently serves nearly 2,000 local governments across the country, including 23 municipalities in Arizona.

3. 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.

4. 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Codifying includes removing repealed or obsolete ordinances and editing for proper grammar, consistency and clarity.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.

5. 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.
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.

6. 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.

7. 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.
A typical code should be loose-leaf for ease of supplementation
✓ Cover page that indicates most recently enacted legislation included ✓ Table of contents ✓ Charter, if any ✓ Body of code ✓ Parallel reference tables ✓ Index

8. 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.

9. SUPPLEMENTATION
A municipality may begin the supplementation process immediately after initial codification by regularly sending in 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.

10. Codes hosted on the Internet
24 hour access by the public, law enforcement officers, code enforcement officers, department heads
Searchable
Print capability
Capability
Save to MS Word/PDF

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

12. 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. Customer service reps include a former council member. Nearly half of the employees are owners of the company.

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

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

20. Online: Computers, Phones, Tablets