The privilege of overnight parking on Indianola streets could be about to expire, although the Indianola Board of Aldermen took no action Monday night on a proposed ordinance that could ban on-street parking in residential neighborhoods between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
At a previous meeting, Alderman Sam Brock asked City Attorney Gary Austin to formulate an ordinance that would restrict parking so it can be enforceable. Austin was not available Monday night due to a family medical emergency according to Mayor Steve Rosenthal.
However, Rosenthal asked Brock if the statute submitted for review was in accordance to what he wanted and Brock stated the edict needed a lot of “defining and refining.” Brock said, “We need to have a time period, maybe from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.” He also asked that the areas designated for parking be clearly identified.
In addition, Brock said once the ordinance is established he wants all city departments to have a hand in monitoring for compliance. Rosenthal then sought clarification and asked if Brock was proposing absolutely no parking on city streets during that 12-hour period and asked the alderman if parking would be allowed anywhere for that time period.
Brock replied that it was what he intended and parking would only be allowed in an emergency.
Rosenthal exerted that the board must approve the proposal and asked if any of them had any alternate views. Alderman Darrell Simpson voiced a concern that not all citizens have the ability to park on their property.
Alderman Ruben Woods concurred and suggested researching other municipalities first to see how they are addressing the situation. He also cited that some people who have adequate space to park in their yards do not, but if space is available, they should.
Brock’s contention is that some city streets are too narrow and parking on the side of the roadways would hinder trouble-free flow for emergency vehicles. Rosenthal then suggested making a list of those constricted pathways and making those no parking zones rather than implementing it citywide.
Simpson also suggested consulting with the police to help identify problem areas. Brock offered Garrard Road as an example and cited the difficulty that the street sweeper encounters trying to traverse through the congested area. “You’ve got cars been parked down there weeks, this is the kind of stuff we’re talking about moving,” Brock said.
He also mentioned big trucks that are sometimes parked in the way and said the situation is something that needs to be corrected. Rosenthal stated that the city currently has a law prohibiting semi-truck parking. “You might have a law, but it’s not being totally enforced,” Brock responded.
Brock said the responsibility to keep the streets clear needs to be put back in the citizen’s hands. “You buy these cars, you know you need somewhere to park them, it’s simple,” he said. Rosenthal said he could see potential problems when police try to ticket citizens in line with Brock’s proposal and asked if time limits could be established to identify vehicles that have been parked in one spot for lengthy periods.
In other business,
After spending over 50 minutes discussing items on the claims docket the aldermen voted 3 to 2 to approve it. Brock had several questions regarding multiple charges that resulted in some lengthy explanations and Alderman Marvin Elder had questions regarding the animal shelter and veterinary invoices that also generated a protracted discussion.
Elder initiated the motion to approve payment with the exception of the veterinary bill and Brock added a second. Aldermen Gary Fratesi and Simpson voted no, Fratesi said he did not agree with withholding the payment. A separate motion was made to approve the electronic transfers and that passed unanimously.
They also voted 4 to 1 to adopt the agenda after two items were added to the original. Alderman Gary Fratesi cast the no vote.
A motion to prohibit the animal control worker and animal shelter supervisor from taking the city vehicles home failed by a 3 to 2 vote. Elder made the proposal that was seconded by Brock and although he did not offer any specifics he did say that until some issues were resolved, the trucks need to remain parked at the police department if the workers have not been dispatched on a call.
“There’s a reason and I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
Rosenthal asserted that city policy allows for any employee who is on call to take the vehicles home. “Take home to where, anywhere?” Elder asked. Rosenthal said he believes a 10-mile radius was established. Woods said the policy was changed to reflect not outside of the city limits.
Furthermore, the city leaders:
Approved submitting the annual municipal compliance questionnaire once it was verified that City Clerk LaShanda Moore completed the document and not Rosenthal.
Approved payments on several CDBG project engineering and construction invoices.
Voted to change the Dec. 24 regular meeting to Dec. 20 because of the Christmas Eve holiday.
