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Council approves first reading of model traffic code changes to mirror state law on school buses and other updates
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Summary
On a unanimous first reading vote, Lafayette City Council approved Ordinance No. 2, Series 2026 to adopt amendments to the model traffic code reflecting state law updates on passing school buses, dismissal authority for certain registration tickets, and local default-judgment rules with a shortened 35-day removal window.
The Lafayette City Council on Jan. 6 approved on first reading Ordinance No. 2, Series 2026, which updates the city’s adoption of the state model traffic code to incorporate recent statutory changes and to restore a local default-judgment provision.
Deputy City Attorney Erin Poe summarized three primary amendments: first, a change reflecting House Bill 25-1230 that removes the word "painted" from the list of medians that divide a highway, meaning motorists traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus must now stop even when a painted median (not a raised or physical barrier) separates lanes; second, a change (House Bill 25-1112) that allows dismissal of a failure-to-register vehicle charge if certain conditions are met (vehicle unregistered no more than four months, owner registers before first court date, and the owner pays court costs); and third, readopting a local amendment to permit default judgment entry when defendants do not appear for court with a 35-day window to remove the judgment for excusable neglect and limiting the default judgment to certain lower-point infractions.
Councilors asked whether the painted-median change would affect local bus stops and whether it is uniform across the county; staff replied it is a state law change that enables enforcement where painted medians previously prevented summonses. After brief discussion, council moved and approved the ordinance on first reading without recorded dissents.
