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Staff proposes ordinance changes to require handing over physical license and to reorganize distracted-driving rules
Summary
City staff presented two ordinance changes: one would change municipal code language so drivers must provide physical possession of a license on demand to mirror state law; the other reorganizes texting/driving provisions and reduces the penalty for failure to devote full attention to driving to align with state fines; staff said they will seek emergency adoption at the next meeting.
City staff briefed the Mayor and Board Commissioners on two proposed municipal-code changes intended to improve officer safety and align local rules with recent state law changes.
Mandy (city staff) said police requested an amendment that would change code language from 'display' to 'provide physical possession' of a license during a traffic stop because some drivers hold an ID up to the window rather than handing it to officers, creating an officer-safety concern. "The change that we're proposing in this ordinance simply just adopts the state language that changes it from display to provide physical possession to ... alleviate some officer safety concerns," Mandy said.
She also said staff is making two technical edits to add the phrase "plus cost" in certain fine provisions to reflect assessments already imposed under state law (about $30 for state assessments and $30 for court costs) and plans to seek an emergency finding to adopt the ordinance quickly.
Separately, Mandy explained a pair of ordinances to reorganize distracted-driving rules: relocating texting-and-device provisions into a single mobile-device section, adding provisions for school and construction zones, and slightly reducing the city's penalty for "failure to devote full attention to driving" so the fine is aligned with state guidance for municipalities with courts not of record. She emphasized exceptions for voice-activated navigation and built-in vehicle systems.
Police participants raised practical enforcement concerns about distinguishing texting from dialing and how devices in modern vehicles intersect with the code. A police officer said texting statutes can be hard to enforce in practice and that many distracted-driving citations are used for parking-lot accidents; staff acknowledged the enforcement challenges while noting the draft includes some targeted exceptions.
City staff said they will return the ordinances at the next meeting and request emergency adoption to put the new language into effect as soon as possible for officer safety and traffic-safety reasons.
