WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The District of Columbia is on the verge of revamping its criminal code – if the mayor signs off on it.

City Council on Tuesday unanimously to upend the criminal code following more than a decade of debate and discussion and have put it to a reluctant Mayor Muriel Bowser to approve it.

But Bowser and her police chief, Robert Contee, have serious concerns about the reforms that would take away most mandatory minimum sentences, bump down maximum penalties for crimes like carjacking, burglaries and robberies and provide jury trials for nearly all misdemeanor cases.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Bowser should sign the bill as it got unanimous support.

“I think it would be a mistake if the mayor vetoed the bill,” Mendelson told DC News Now following the vote. “The bill was approved on a unanimous vote. And while I appreciate that she had some concerns, I think the concerns are misplaced.”

The revised criminal code, Mendelson said, “is a complex document and it has to be read in its totality.”

“The simplest charge is not going to apply in most cases,” he said. “There will be a layering of charges and therefore a layering of possible sentences. And I think that’s been misunderstood by a lot of folks.”

The mayor has expressed worry that the changes would tax an already overburdened court system and limit police in how they fight crime.

Her spokeswoman declined to comment on the vote but referred to the mayor’s letter to Mendelson on the eve of the vote. While she lauded the “modernization of certain provisions,” she worried about the impact on public safety.

The United States Attorney’s office, she wrote, “believes your proposed penalties for burglary, robbery and carjacking are too low and have the potential to dramatically drive down the sentences that are currently imposed.”

“We are very concerned about the proposal to weaken already lenient sentencing for gun possession by reducing current penalties for carrying a pistol with a license and felons in possession,” the mayor wrote. “It is critically important we get it right and that it not only improves the safety of our residents, our businesses and our city, but that our residents believe that these revisions will improve their safety.”

Mendelson said with the code revamp, “we are bringing consistency and a greater level of transparency” in relation to charges brought in the criminal justice system.

Closing cases that result in arrests will have the most effect on crime, he said.

If the mayor vetoes the bill, Mendelson said, “absolutely” that the council would override her. “There’s no question in my mind.”