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Council considers draft idling ordinance after complaint; asks administration to engage postal operator first
Summary
Council Member Draper introduced a draft ordinance to limit vehicle idling following a resident complaint about a truck idling up to 11 hours daily. Council agreed to have administration first contact the postmaster and the contractor to seek a local resolution and held the ordinance for further consideration.
Council Member Draper introduced a draft ordinance at the June 8 meeting aimed at limiting vehicle idling after a resident reported a semi truck idling as much as 11 hours a day near a residential area. Draper described the proposal as complaint-based, with a first violation resulting in a warning and enforcement only after subsequent complaints or observed violations; he said the draft includes multiple waivers for operations where continuous engine use may be necessary.
"I imagine ordinances often come from a single complaint and doesn't become visible until somebody brings it forward," Draper said, adding the draft was written narrowly and that enforcement would not create undue burden on police because it would be complaint-driven.
Other council members voiced caution about creating an ordinance in response to a single complaint and suggested administration first meet with the postmaster and the contractor responsible for deliveries. One council member pointed to Salt Lake City's 3-minute idling limit as an example of stricter rules elsewhere, while others preferred attempting direct outreach before pursuing a local regulation. The council directed administration to contact the postmaster and report back; the draft ordinance was held pending that outreach.
