Cheyenne City Council Postpones Decision On Warrant Ordinance

The Cheyenne City Council has postponed a final decision on a controversial administrative warrant ordinance until Feb. 9.

The ordinance would allow municipal judges to issue warrants to allow city officials to inspect buildings for safety, building code and health violations. City officials would have to ask for the warrant, either after being denied entry to the property or when "consent would frustrate the inspection purpose."

The proposal has generated a fair amount of opposition from residents who say it's an infringement on property rights and personal privacy. Some opponents also say that issuing such warrants should be a decision for a district court judge. A meeting earlier this month drew strong opposition from some members of the public and questions from some members of the council as well.

The main impetus for the measure comes from city officials who want to investigate the cause of a fire or who are looking for building code violations. Supporters say the ordinance is a matter of public safety and that the ordinance can be implemented in a way that respects constitutional rights.

On Monday the City Council once again heard from several residents who are unhappy with the proposal. That included House District 43 Republican Representative Ann Lucas, who said the city already has the ability to deal with emergency situations with the passage of the ordinance.

Proposal Goes Back To Committee For Possible Changes

In the end the council decided to send the proposal back to the Public Services Committee, which will consider changes. Then it will go befo0re the full council once again at it's next regular meeting on Feb. 9

You can see the full council meeting in the video attached below.