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Council trims off-road-utility-vehicle ordinance, removes downtown exclusion for second reading
Summary
After hours of debate, Sioux City Council adopted an alternate version of the off-road utility vehicle ordinance for second reading and voted to remove a downtown exclusion; council members and downtown stakeholders debated safety, enforcement, tire standards and whether to raise the minimum operator age.
The Sioux City Council on July 13 accepted an alternate version of an ordinance regulating off-road utility vehicles (UTVs/OTVs) for second reading and voted to remove a downtown exclusion from the ordinance's boundary. Assistant City Attorney Caleb Christopherson described the alternate as a cleanup that added safety provisions such as a slow-moving vehicle triangle and incorporated state equipment requirements.
Downtown Partners director Reagan Cody urged that allowing these vehicles downtown could help businesses, saying, "Any way that people can get to downtown is great." Councilmembers and staff debated enforcement practicability, DOT tire standards and operator safety equipment. Penny Tobin, who installs and sells units, questioned some tire requirements and noted many current units do not have turn signals as standard equipment.
A motion to remove the downtown footprint passed on a roll call and the council instructed staff to incorporate amendments into a clean version for third-reading materials. The council discussed but did not finalize a proposed amendment to raise the minimum operator age from 18 to 21, with staff noting municipalities can be more restrictive than the state code but that few comparators were found.
