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Session 1833 March 4, 2002 BILLS FOR INTRODUCTION: Before continuing, Mayor Adams noticed a citizen request to speak on the Bills for Introduction docket. Joan Botwinick, 511 Westview, wished to speak to the possible changes to the BOCA Building Code. She stated some personal reasons that she feels clarifies the need to have an additional emergency door installed in residential homes based on safety reasons. She does not see the rationale for only installing one door and believes it is self-evident as to why an additional door is needed. She requested that the Council change the BOCA code for U. City so that each dwelling will have two doors. She also requested that this issue be made known to other communities, so that they have an opportunity to make the same important changes to their building codes, as well. Mayor Adams stated that there are four possible theories presented for legislation. To avoid redundancy of having to introduce four separate pieces of legislation, we need to come up with a mechanism this evening to figure out which one of these four, if any, are viable to be moved forward for Council action. Mayor Adams asked for Council's indulgence for giving him some direction on how to proceed. Mr. Ollendorff offered to briefly explain the four bills. The proposal is to amend the building code in U. City to require two doors rather than just one for all single and two family dwellings. We have included in these bills, single, two, three and four family dwellings. What Council has before them is four different methods of amending the code to require a second door on a separate wall in all single family, two family, three family and four family homes - two stories or less. The first bill simply makes that an amendment to the code from now on with an emergency clause, which will allow the Council to introduce and pass the bill into law this evening instead of waiting a couple of weeks for final action. The second one does this through the regular process. The next pair of bills, with and without an emergency clause, will set a ninety day moratorium from any further building of homes with only one door. Mr. Wagner said that the Council had a very short study meeting on this subject on February 11 and he felt that the Council did not have the needed time to properly research this subject. The City Manager came out of that meeting with these four optional bills. He commended him for making that much sense of that short meeting. Mr. Wagner would like to move forward with the legislation incurring a ninety day moratorium with an emergency clause. During this period he hopes that we can mount a more in-depth study session on this subject. He does not feel that anyone on the Council floor are building experts and believes that it would be in the Council's advantage to read what the BOCA committee had sent and become a little more conversant with their viewpoint. The emergency clause will allow this legislation to go into effect tonight.