Council to observe one-year anniversary of city's emergency medical services

The Yuma Fire Department and emergency medical services members will be recognized during the Yuma City Council meeting this week.

The recognition comes on the one-year anniversary of YFD becoming the provider of emergency transport services within the city after being granted a certificate of necessity in January 2012 by the director of Arizona Department of Health Services.

The council meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers at Yuma City Hall, One City Plaza.

Also during the meeting, the council will adopt ordinances that update the city's five building codes, including a code that for the first time establishes energy conservation standards. This will be the first time the city's building codes have been updated since 2003.

They include the building code that sets standards for commercial development, existing building code that revises standards for changes to existing properties, property management code that adds criteria to help inspectors and code enforcers determine whether a building is safe, the residential code that governs all facets of the construction of single-family homes, and a new energy conservation code for commercial development.

With the possible exception of the property management code, the new standards apply only to new construction and would not impact existing buildings.

All but the energy code are slated to go into effect on July 1. The new energy conservation code will be implemented on Dec. 1, providing time to train and educate contractors and designers and to allow them to use up their existing inventory.

The city modeled its new codes after international codes.

Preceding Wednesday's regular meeting, the council will hold a work session at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers.

Nikki Hoogendoorn, Neighborhood Services specialist, will brief the council on recommendations by city staff and the citizen advisory committee for fiscal year 2013-14 Community Development Block Grant funding.

Complete agendas for both meetings are available on the city's website at yumaaz.gov.

For those who are unable to attend a meeting in person, city council meetings and work sessions are broadcast live on Time Warner Channel 73.