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<br />Item No: 4 <br />Meeting Date: 11/5/01 <br />Type of Business: WK <br />WK: Work Session; PH: Public Hearing; <br />CA: Consent Agenda; CB: Council Business <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br />To: Honorable Mayor & City Council <br />From: Jeremiah Anderson, Housing/Code Enforcement Inspector <br />Item Title/Subject: Discussion regarding updates to the Nuisance Code <br />Date of Report: October 30, 2001 <br /> <br />Background: <br /> <br />At the March 5, 2001 council work session meeting, council directed staff to conduct <br />research regarding vehicles constituting a public nuisance and begin drafting an <br />ordinance, which strengthened the existing nuisance code provisions. At the May 7, <br />2001 work session meeting, staff presented proposed changes to the nuisance code for <br />discussion. At that meeting, it was discussed that the issue of trailers being parked in <br />yards and trailers needing to display current license needed additional clarification. <br />Given the time that has elapsed since this item was last before the council, staff felt it <br />was appropriate to revisit the issue. <br /> <br />Discussion: <br /> <br />Staff recommended several changes to the nuisance code at the May 7, 2001 work <br />session meeting. Many of the proposed changes were for clarification purposes and to <br />eliminate confusion within the nuisance code. Additionally, legal council has explained <br />that it is not necessary to include state statutes verbatim in a city ordinance, however, <br />staff feels that it is necessary to include the relevant statutes within the ordinance rather <br />than only referencing them because it could help to eliminate confusion when residents <br />request a copy of the ordinance and notice many references to other state statutes. <br /> <br />At the May 7, 2001 work session meeting, the parking of trailers, snowmobiles, and <br />ATV’s in yards was a subject of discussion. Currently, the nuisance code defines a <br />vehicle as “any vehicle as defined in Minnesota Statutes as every device in, upon, or by <br />which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway”. <br />However, the nuisance code specifically excludes trailers with weight classifications of <br />A and B (0-1,500lbs. and 1,501-3,000lbs.), snowmobiles, and ATV’s from this definition. <br />As such, the parking requirements listed in the nuisance code would not apply to such <br />trailers, snowmobiles, and ATV’s. As an example, a property owner could park <br />numerous snowmobiles, ATV’s or trailers with class A or B weight classifications <br />anywhere in the yard of a property and not be in violation of the nuisance code. To <br />elaborate further, the snowmobiles, ATV’s or trailers could also be junked/inoperable <br />and not display current registration on the license plates and violate the requirements of <br />the nuisance code.