The Farmington City Council voted 3‑0 to publish notice of a proposed ordinance that would establish a formal truck‑route system, prohibit heavy trucks on a block of downtown Main Street and set length and empty‑weight thresholds for prohibited vehicles. The motion to publish the notice was made by Councilor Tequila and carried unanimously by members present.

City staff presented the proposal as an update to the city’s current truck‑route language. “Right now, our current ordinance, section 25‑3‑51 truck routes… consists of one sentence: hazmats… shall use 64 or Murray Drive with the exemption of local delivery,” staff presenter Demetrius Henry said, summarizing the existing rule and why the city wants a clearer ordinance.

The proposed ordinance would explicitly define a “prohibited truck” as any vehicle 45 feet or longer or with an empty weight over 20,000 pounds. That change would replace the current 2‑ton threshold in the city code, Henry said, and would focus enforcement on semi‑trailers, tractor‑trailers and similar combinations. The draft also retains an existing hazmat restriction — shipments carrying hazardous materials would be limited to U.S. 64/Murray Drive unless making a local delivery.

Under the proposal, the city would designate 10 streets as truck routes and list one prohibited downtown segment: Main Street between Butler and Auburn Avenue. Henry presented the routes drawn from the MPO thoroughfare plan and listed the proposed designated routes as Murray Drive/US‑64 (entirety); Main Street/New Mexico 516 (city limits to San Juan Boulevard); Browning Parkway (full length); Scott Avenue (San Juan Boulevard to Broadway); San Juan Boulevard (Main Street to Scott Avenue); Broadway (entire length); New Mexico 371; Bisti/?? (as presented); Pinon Hills Boulevard; English Road (Pinon Hills to Main Street); and La Plata Highway/New Mexico 170. Staff said the designated arterials are intended to “guide” through traffic to streets designed to carry heavier loads.

Exceptions in the draft include local deliveries, repairs and maintenance, emergency vehicles, refuse trucks, oil‑filled trucks and school buses; staff also said residents may park a work vehicle at home if it is used for their business. The proposed enforcement language would allow a citation carrying up to a $500 fine and/or up to 90 days in jail, and staff told council that municipal court judges typically consider a driver’s history when setting fines.

Councilors asked how the city would make truck drivers aware of the routes beyond signage and whether digital mapping (Google, Apple) could be changed. Henry said the city would increase signage and could submit requests to mapping companies but would be “at the mercy” of those companies’ policies and response times. Councilor Takino asked if the city should consider graduated penalties for repeat violators; Henry said judges normally consider repeat offenses when assessing penalties.

Henry cited examples from other municipalities that publish maps and designated streets for trucks, including Grand Junction, Lewiston and Bellingham, noting different fine structures and numbers of designated streets. The presentation included MPO maps showing principal and minor arterials and a visual of the proposed truck‑route network.

The council’s vote was to publish notice of the proposed ordinance; the publication begins the formal public‑notice process and does not adopt the ordinance. Additional hearings or readings would be needed for final adoption.

Details cited by staff in the hearing included the existing code reference (Section 25‑3‑51), the MPO thoroughfare plan used to select routes, the proposed definition thresholds (45 feet or 20,000 pounds empty weight) and the downtown prohibition on Main Street between Butler and Auburn Avenue.

Next steps: staff will publish the notice as authorized by the council and continue outreach, including installing signage. The city indicated it would request map updates from third‑party map providers but cannot guarantee changes to routing information maintained by those companies.