The city council approved a modification to the city’s fencing ordinance in its meeting Tuesday.

The change, which mandates the installation of fencing around any inground pool, as well as any above-ground pool less than four feet in height, or that cannot remove the entry ladder, was first discussed in the rules and ordinances committee’s Sept. 5 meeting. At that time Councilman and Committee Chairman Jeff Stockman said that he felt the change was necessary as the lack of proper fencing for pools of this nature presented a safety issue within the city. At that time Stockman and several other council members said that they had been under the impression that the city had already had regulations of this nature in place and had been shocked to learn different when it had been brough to their attention.

Clerk of Council Debbie Bricker questioned if the ordinance would need to be presented to the planning commission prior to passage, City Law Director Brooke Zellers explained that while typically modifications to an ordinance under section eleven are required to go before the commission if they modify the zoning code, since the proposed modification did not actually have any modifications to zoning he believed it was not necessary in this instance.

Councilman Steve Faber asked if the new regulations would be applied to existing pools or if they would be grandfathered. Zellers said that the ordinance would apply to all pools within the city, meaning any existing pools of the affected type will be required to install fencing.

While council unanimously voted to suspend statutory rules to give the ordinance all three readings in a single night, it was not passed with the emergency clause, meaning it must wait for 30 days from Tuesday before it goes into effect.

Other business included the approval of a request by Councilman Andrew Null to form a special committee, in accordance with council rule 17, to discuss the proposed revitalization district. The committee will be chaired by Null, with Stockman, and Councilman Evan Newman also serving as voting members, and Sustainable Opportunity Development Center Executive Director Julie Needs will also serve on the committee as a non-voting member. Null also reserved the right to add an additional non-voting member to the committee.

While he had no official report, Councilman Jake Gano, who chairs the economic development committee, announced that there would be an economic development committee meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 during the reports of standing committees. Gano said that the recent issue of deed restrictions that would mandate the annexation of several homes in Perry Township into the city one after another they become contiguous to the city would be discussed in the meeting.

During pleasure of council Faber wanted to wish Councilman Dennis Plegge a happy birthday.

The meeting concluded with an executive session to discuss the city’s pending contract with Utilities Workers of America Local 560, the union which represents the city’s utilities workers, with no action to follow.

The city council will meet next 7 p.m. Oct. 17.