Council introduces ordinance updating city code to reflect reorganized departments, removes manager residency requirement

The City Council on Aug. 26 introduced an ordinance amending several sections of Title 2 (Administration — Personnel) of the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code to reflect the city’s current organizational structure, remove a residency requirement for the city manager and delegate appointment and removal authority for department heads, including the police chief.

A staff member summarized the changes as administrative updates with no financial impact and said the ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. “Key changes include removing the residency requirement for the city manager, updating department functions to align with reorganizations that took place in 2021 and 2023, and delegating authority for appointing or removing the chief of police solely to the city manager,” the staff summary said.

The council opened public comment and heard none. A motion to introduce the ordinance and find it exempt from CEQA was made and seconded. The council adopted the introduction by roll‑call vote; the staff record shows all members voting yes.

The introduction is procedural: it formally places the ordinance on the council’s legislative schedule so the council can consider final adoption on a subsequent meeting date. Staff stated the changes are administrative and do not change department responsibilities beyond updating how appointments are authorized.