Resident urges reversal of new Strawberry Lane parking restriction; board says sign stays until formal action

Jamie Jones, a Strawberry Lane resident, told the Ranlo Board of Commissioners that a new "No Parking Any Time" sign went up on his street without notice and without a public hearing. He said he found no accident reports, fire-access concerns or petitions supporting the change and urged the board to explain why the restriction was imposed.

The board and staff told Jones that merely posting a sign or publishing notice online does not create a legal restriction until the board formally adopts an ordinance. "When it's adopted by the board, it becomes legal," the town attorney/staff member said. Commissioners also cautioned that they cannot direct police to ignore an existing ordinance: "You all cannot ask that we not enforce the law," a commissioner said.

Jones said neighbors will collect signatures and present a petition at the next meeting if the sign remains. The mayor invited Jones to return with a petition and directed staff to keep the matter on the agenda for further consideration. The board did not remove the sign at the meeting; staff said they had submitted ordinance language to the code publisher and suggested the matter be handled through the formal ordinance process.

The immediate outcome was procedural: the board asked the resident to bring a petition and signaled it will address the issue in a future meeting. Whether the board will amend or repeal the posted restriction depends on a future formal agenda item and any motion the board chooses to take.