City purchased John Deere Gator; council asks staff to draft narrow ordinance allowing city and emergency use

Public works-related staff told the council the city purchased a John Deere Gator this year to use in parks, along West Whitman and on the multi-use path and raised the question of whether the council wanted an ordinance to permit limited municipal UTV/ORV use on city streets.

"This year, the city purchased a John Deere Gator," staff said, explaining the vehicle is intended for parks and maintenance and could be equipped with lights and licensed for road use. Staff noted the city had previously prohibited UTVs/ORVs on city streets for safety reasons and said the draft ordinance would aim to allow exceptions for city maintenance and emergency services while continuing to prohibit general recreational use.

Council members offered a range of views: some favored allowing city-owned vehicles to operate on streets to support maintenance and emergency needs, provided they were clearly marked and limited by ordinance; others reiterated safety concerns about broadly allowing UTVs for general use. Several members supported an approach that either grants staff a specific exemption or requires a special permit rather than an open allowance.

Staff said they had found an example ordinance from the town of Lind, Washington that lists specific exceptions such as law enforcement, emergency management and town maintenance; the staff direction from the workshop was to work with the police chief and legal counsel to draft a similarly narrow ordinance and return to council for review. The council did not vote on an ordinance at the workshop.