Res 1985 - 97 Regarding Publication of Summary of an Ordinance Regulating Motor Vehicles & TrafficCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
Resolution No. 85-97
A RESOLUTION REGARDING PUBLICATION OF SUMMARY OF AN
ORDINANCE REGULATING MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Mendota Heights ("City Council") is the
governing body of the City of Mendota Heights ("City"); and
WHEREAS, on 11-5 , 1985, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 219
("Ordinance"), which Ordinance regulates motor vehicles and traffic within the City; and
WHEREAS, said Ordinance is lengthy; and
WHEREAS, the Council has determined that publication of the title and a summary of
the Ordinance would clearly inform the public of the intent and effect of the Ordinance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED:
1. That the Council hereby determines that publication of the title and a summary of
the Ordinance would clearly inform the public of the intent and effect of the
Ordinance.
2. That the text of the summary set forth in Paragraph 4 hereof is hereby approved in
all respects.
3. That the City Clerk take all actions necessary or desirable to implement and
effectuate the publication of the summary hereinafter set forth.
4. The following is the summary of the Ordinance:
AN ORDINANCE REGULATING MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
The Ordinance contains numerous rules regulating traffic in the City of
Mendota Heights and the use of motor vehicles in the City. It incorporates
the laws enacted by the State of Minnesota regulating highway traffic, and
applies those laws to the use of highway streets and alleys within the City of
Mendota Heights. The Ordinance includes provisions on parking vehicles in
general, leaving vehicles unattended, parking vehicles so as to block the
passage of other vehicles, prohibiting parking in certain areas (such as, for
example, on sidewalks, in front of driveways, in intersections, in front of fire
hydrants, and etc.) handicapped parking rules, parking on private property,
operating motor vehicles within private and public parking lots (for example,
the Ordinance imposes a speed limit of 15 mph in all public and private
parking lots, requires careful driving, and prohibits drag racing in parking
lots), parking within marked parking slots, allowing the City to post traffic
control signs at any entrance to or exit from a parking lot, and requires any
driver who becomes involved in a collision between his vehicle and a parked
vehicle to leave a notice with the unattended vehicle of his name, address and
license number. The Ordinance also gives the Police Department the
authority to remove any vehicle which is found by the Police Department
standing upon a street, roadway or highway in violation of the Ordinance, and
to remove any vehicle which constitutes a nuisance or which is found upon the
streets of the City in a damaged condition or a state of disrepair. The
Ordinance also contains provisions for the impounding and storage of such
vehicles, and the recovery of such vehicles by the owner from the City. The
Ordinance imposes restrictions on operating and parking vehicles on
parkways, in parks or upon public ground, and upon parking, storing, repairing,
servicing or maintaining a "junk car", which is defined to be a motor vehicle
which is not licensed or not operable or is partially dismantled for a period of
thirty (30) days or more, or which is used as a source of replacement parts.
The ordinance also prohibits the parking of semi trailers upon streets, City
owned parking lots, or other public property, and prohibits parking trucks of
certain sizes in residential districts of the City. The Ordinance also prohibits
parking vehicles on a publicstreet for more than thirty (30) minutes during the
time between a snowfall of two inches or more and the plowing or removal of
the snow, and grants the City authority to remove vehicles which violate said
provision. The Ordinance also prohibits repairing vehicles in the street,
except in emergency circumstances. The Ordinance further adopts certain
provisions of Minnesota State Law regulating snowmobiles within the City,
and generally requires registration of snowmobiles. The Ordinance prohibits
operation of snowmobiles on private property within the City, except with the
written permission of the landowner, and the Ordinance only allows
snowmobiles to be operated upon public streets in an emergency during the
period of time when snow upon the highway renders automobile travel
impracticable. The Ordinance imposes additional restrictions on the
operation of snowmobiles within the City (such as, for example, prohibiting
operating at an unreasonable rate of speed, in a careless, reckless or
negligent manner, while under the influence of intoxicating liquors or drugs,
without a headlight after sunset, and etc.). The Ordinance also requires all
snowmobiles to have standard mufflers, head lights, tail lights, adequate
brakes and a deadman throttle. The Ordinance further allows a fine of not
more than $300 to be imposed on any owner of a snowmobile if his or her
snowmobile is operated contrary to the provisions of the Ordinance. The
Ordinance also imposes restrictions on the operation of recreational motor
vehicles (which are defined to include but not be limited motor bikes, motor
scooters, trail bikes, mini bikes, go-carts, hover craft, all -terrain vehicles,
dune buggies, and snowmobiles converted to use with wheels). Finally, the
Ordinance prohibits parking recreational camping vehicles (i.e. motor homes,
camping trailers, pickup coaches, and travel trailers) on any street within the
limits of the City for a continuous period in excess of twenty-four (24) hours.
Finally, the Ordinance provides that any person who violates any provision of
the Ordinance may be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction may be
punished by a fine of not more than seven hundred dollars ($700.00) or
imprisoned for not more than ninety (90) days, or both, plus the cost of
prosecution.
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A PRINTED COPY OF THE FULL TEXT OF THE ORDINANCE IS
AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION BY ANY PERSON DURING REGULAR
OFFICE HOURS AT THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK. A COPY OF THE
ENTIRE TEXT OF THE ORDINANCE SHALL BE POSTED AT
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Mendota Heights this third day of December
1985.
ATTEST:
faZ�LI��
thleen M. Swanson, City Clerk
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CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
By,J t 64
Robert G. Lockwood, Mayor