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Council reviews parking-code changes and 'vicious dog' municipal offenses at second reading; no final votes
Summary
On Oct. 21 Waukesha council held second‑reading discussions of code changes to parking enforcement (registration requirement, abandoned-vehicle towing exceptions, and $5 increases to many forfeitures) and proposed municipalization of state "vicious dog" penalties; council members asked questions and were invited to propose amendments before third reading.
City staff brought two second‑reading ordinance packages to the council on Oct. 21: amendments to Chapter 7 addressing parking forfeitures and abandoned‑vehicle procedures, and a proposal to add "vicious dog" penalty provisions into the municipal code.
Brian (city staff) summarized the Chapter 7 changes requested by the Police Department. Key elements include a requirement that vehicles parked on city streets be registered if state law requires registration, a new provision allowing police to tow vehicles that cannot be identified after reasonable efforts (avoiding an obligatory 72‑hour wait in specific circumstances), and an across‑the‑board $5 increase to many parking forfeitures (for example, a standard parking forfeiture moving from $20 to $25, with escalation if unpaid). "If the police encounter a vehicle that's illegally parked and they make an effort to find the owner ... and they can't do it after those reasonable efforts, then they do not have to wait 72 hours to remove the vehicle from the street," Brian told council members.
Council members questioned the 72‑hour baseline already in Chapter 12 (public nuisance) and suggested amendments to address private‑property situations and more severe repeat offenses. One alderman proposed an amendment to increase the fine for parking on private property to $100 for a first offense; staff said such an amendment could be considered before final passage.
On the proposed "vicious dog" provisions, staff said the language would mirror state penalties (citing Wis. Stat. §174.02 sub. 2 during discussion) and allow municipal citations handled in municipal court rather than relying on the district attorney's office. "This was prompted by a dog attack," Brian said. Council asked whether law‑enforcement discretion and exemptions (for dog‑park incidents or trespassing) should be spelled out; staff invited aldermen to submit suggested language in advance of third reading.
Neither ordinance received a final vote at the Oct. 21 meeting; both were at second reading and remain open for amendments. Staff said they will update the ordinance text to correct minor typographical errors noted on the floor before the third reading.
