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Little Falls Police Chief introduces draft ordinance to regulate recreational and special vehicles
Summary
City staff presented Ordinance No. 627 to define and regulate special-use and recreational vehicles, including permit authority, designated routes and enforcement discretion; council members urged careful wording to avoid deterring visitors and asked staff to return with sample language and fee estimates.
The Little Falls City Council on June 1 heard a presentation from the Police Chief on a draft ordinance (Ordinance No. 627) to regulate recreational and special vehicles within city limits.
The Police Chief said the draft amends city code chapter 10, section 10.18, and reflects input from the planning commission and previous council discussions. "In front of you is a draft ordinance for the special use vehicles within the city," the Police Chief told council, adding the draft is intended to bring the proposal closer to a final ordinance.
Why it matters: council members said the city needs clear rules to balance resident safety, downtown access and the economic benefits of visitors who travel through Little Falls on recreational vehicles.
Key details and council concerns The draft includes a section (Section D) that would let the council, by resolution, restrict certain vehicle types from particular areas downtown. The Police Chief explained the ordinance also distinguishes vehicle types by configuration (for example, handlebar versus steering wheel) and draws on state definitions for class measurements.
Council members praised the draft's organization but pressed staff on practical issues: how to treat transient visitors who pass through for a weekend, whether a permit requirement would discourage visitors, and how enforcement would work. One council member asked whether visitors "are going to want to go through that whole permitting process even if it's temporary," raising the prospect that strict permit requirements could reduce patronage of local businesses.
The Police Chief and staff said officers would exercise on-the-ground judgment. "If they are just visiting, ... they'd be advised that, you know, you are required to have a permit to be in in town," the Police Chief said, adding that officers could focus enforcement on vehicles that appear to be driven regularly into town.
Council members floated alternatives to a strict, city-wide permit regime: designating one east–west and one north–south route through town for transient traffic, using a resolution to suspend or modify permit requirements in the short term, and setting permit fees by the city fee schedule rather than embedding fees in the ordinance.
Administration and next steps Staff said it will research language used by other cities, estimate sticker and processing costs, and return with proposed ordinance language and fee estimates. "We can look at something to see if I'm sure it's come up with other cities, so I can see if there's language out there," staff said. The council and staff discussed setting fees to recoup staff costs while avoiding a barrier to visitors.
No vote was taken. The Police Chief characterized the document as a draft ready for further direction; council members asked staff to return with refined wording, examples from other municipalities and estimated administrative costs before formal ordinance adoption.
