St. Helens council hears wide public comment on proposed 'side-by-side' ordinance; council directs revisions

The St. Helens City Council on Dec. 3 heard more than a dozen public comments on a proposed ordinance to allow and regulate utility-terrain vehicles, commonly called "side-by-sides," on city streets and directed staff to revise the draft and return it for consideration in the second week of January.

Presiding (unnamed) council member opened the meeting by summarizing a work session on the ordinance and explaining the draft has been reviewed by police leadership, Sheriff Pixley and the joint planning commission. The presiding member said council sent the draft to Chief Smith and Lieutenant Treat for input and asked City Administrator John Walsh to make specified edits and work with legal counsel.

Supporters at the podium said the ordinance could help tourism and local businesses, while raising safety and equipment conditions. "I am in support of the side by side ordinance," said Nick Florey, identifying himself as a St. Helens resident, adding the vehicles could boost local commerce if regulated with lights, seat belts and other requirements. Business owners also offered technical help: "We can do everything that's needed to support the community in terms of making sure that these are street legal," said Keith Despain, co‑owner of Columbia River Motorsports.

Several speakers emphasized safety features and age requirements. One resident who identified only as Nick said he favored helmets and PPE and preferred an age minimum of 18. Rob Hamilton, another resident, said he would vote for 18 because of local road conditions. The presiding speaker acknowledged the council had discussed the age threshold and agreed to consider the difference between state driving ages and local limits.

Members also identified specific changes they wanted in the draft. Council President Chilton pressed to add a car‑seat anchoring requirement for child passengers, to clarify crossing points so side‑by‑sides would not be allowed to travel down Highway 30 except at specified crossings, and to replace the vague phrase "daylight hours" with an operational test tied to visibility or headlights.

Chief Smith said he and Lieutenant Treat were drafting language to restrict Highway 30 driving while allowing residents to travel within the city (for example, to Safeway), and that he would email proposed language to the mayor in the next few days. "We were crafting language. We want to make certain that there are some restrictions on driving on Highway 30," Chief Smith said.

Not all speakers supported the ordinance. An unidentified speaker who referenced another resident’s remarks urged the council to "release the full report" related to a separate investigation and said licensing should be set at the state level rather than by individual cities.

The council agreed by consensus to have Administrator John Walsh make the recommended corrections and to circulate the revised draft to the public and legal counsel. The presiding member said the ordinance would return for consideration in the second week of January and that fee decisions would follow in a later meeting.

Next steps: staff will revise the draft ordinance to reflect the changes discussed (car‑seat anchors, clearer crossing definitions for Highway 30, hours tied to visibility, and an age decision to be resolved), circulate the revision online, and present it to council in January for further consideration.