Keene council tables rewrite of parking ordinance after staff review requested

The Keene City Council reviewed proposed updates to City Ordinance Section 2.72.1 on Sept. 4 and voted unanimously to table the item until after the budget is adopted so staff and the police chief can draft clearer language.

Council discussion was prompted by a council member who said she had received a removal notice for a boat and found the ordinance language confusing. Lieutenant Steele and others told the council the current ordinance contains a 72‑hour continuous period provision that is unclear in practice: moving a trailer a short distance can be interpreted as interrupting the 72‑hour period, creating a loophole that could allow repeated placement of boats or trailers in front of residences throughout the year.

Chief and staff comments focused on public-safety reasons for restricting long-term parking on narrow streets — obstructed visibility, impeded emergency vehicles, and interference with street repair and cleaning. Steele said the ordinance’s 72‑hour language and the clause allowing a less-than-24‑hour removal to “reset” a continuous period are confusing and should be simplified.

Council voted to direct staff — including the city attorney, police chief and city manager — to redraft and return with a corrected ordinance after the budget season. A motion by Councilman Foster to table the item until the budget process passed unanimously. The item will return to the council with redlines and recommended timeframes for temporary on‑street storage.

Councilmembers and residents also noted code-enforcement capacity and asked staff to clarify which enforcement body would handle violations and the standard notice period. A resident who said he had received a notice said the city provided him ten days instead of three; council asked staff to reconcile notice periods with ordinance language and return with consistent procedures.