The city of North Vernon is taking steps to codify its ordinances.

Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Gerkin explained to city council members last week that there is no system in place where residents, or city employees, could look up existing ordinances. He reminded them that by not having a system in place, the city was in violation of state law.

Gerkin presented a proposal from American Legal Publishing Corp. where they would track down every city ordinance, then create a searchable database that would be usable by city employees, as well as residents. The city council voted unanimously on first reading to approve the proposal, at a cost of $9,650. Gerkin adds that the payment can be stretched out over two-to-three years.

Gerkin says that the company told him that that the first set of ordinances should be completed and searchable within six months of final approval. That’s expected to come at next week’s city council meeting.