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Attorney Meyers 'reported that some time ago the Council instructed the <br />Administrator to work on a Junked and Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance and that <br />he had taken some of Mr. Zylla's work and put it into a suggested amendment <br />to the Code. Attorney Meyers read the suggested amendment to Chapter 90.04 <br />entitled "Junked and Abandoned Vehicles ". <br />Mayor Neisen questioned Subdivision 4 of the proposed amendment: Abandoned <br />Motor Vehicle. A motor vehicle will be considered abandoned if (1) it <br />has remained illegally parked for a period of more than 48 hours on public <br />property and /or it is lacking vital component parts. Exception was taken <br />to the "and /or" within the sentence. Mayor Neisen also wanted to know what <br />is illegally parked ". Attorney Meyers stated that you can park on a public <br />street for 48 hours if the car is an operating car. Mayor Neisen then asked <br />that if the car is parked there for more than 48 hours is it illegal and <br />Attorney Meyers said no it is just an abandoned vehicle if it is illegally <br />parked for a period of more than 48 hours on public property and /or it is <br />lacking vital component parts. <br />Councilman Johnson asked Attorney Meyers that if there was a car parked <br />on public property which has all of its component parts but is illegally <br />parked for 48 hours would you then consider that car an abandoned vehicle. <br />Attorney Meyers said it would not be considered an abandoned car but is <br />possibly just illegally parked under some other ordinance. <br />Councilman Johnson wanted to know what would happen if the word "or" was <br />taken out of the proposed ordinance and Attorney Meyers said as far as he <br />was concerned it did not change it. Both criteria were being met. <br />Attorney Meyers stated that we have a junked vehicle ordinance now and the <br />way it is enforced now is that if the vehicle doesn't have a current license <br />plate they tag it and have it removed and apparently it isn't far reaching enough <br />and not doing the job. <br />Mrs. Carlson, 2646 Clearview asked if in this City you could leave your car <br />parked without moving it for a week and there is no way to legally have that <br />car removed if it is in running order. Attorney Meyers said if it is in <br />running order, not in the middle of the street, or facing the wrong way under <br />the present ordinance it is not illegal. <br />Jim Nerdahl, 7941 Edgewood asked what had been mentioned about abandoned <br />vehicles on private property. Mayor Neisen read, (2) (a) of Subdivision 4. <br />"It has remained for a period of more than 48 hours on private property <br />without the consent of the occupant of such property, or (b) it has remained <br />for a period of more than 48 hours on private property with or without the <br />consent of the occupant in an inoperable condition because of the lack of vital <br />compenent parts or because of the extent of damage to said vehicle that renders <br />it inoperable." <br />Mr. Nerdahl stated that that was very harsh. He said a man needs a little <br />more time than 48 hours to decide what he is going to do with a car. For <br />example, if he had an accident and the car was smashed to have to make a <br />decision in 48 hours would be pretty strict. Mayor Neisen asked him what would <br />be more reasonable and Mr. Nerdahl replied that if he was in the hospital <br />for a week or two because of an accident that at least 30 days would be more <br />feasible. He said there is a difference between penalizing people and eliminating <br />junk and that you can't even get an insurance company to answer their telephone <br />within 72 hours. <br />