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Council debates tightening ATV/recreational-vehicle rules, agrees on short dock-access exception
Summary
Council members and staff reviewed a draft ordinance to restrict recreational-vehicle use on private property (curfew, consecutive-time limits, parcel size and a 300-foot setback). After debate about rural vs. developed areas and enforceability, council asked staff to draft language adding a short dock-access exception (15 minutes in a 1-hour period).
City staff presented a 2022-drafted ordinance that would restrict recreational-vehicle (ATV/UTV/golf-cart–type) operation on private property, and council members debated changes to make the rule enforceable and fair for both rural and developed areas.
The staff presentation outlined the draft terms: no operation between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.; no more than two consecutive hours of operation; only on parcels three acres or larger; a limit of three recreational vehicles operating at once; and a 300-foot setback from a property line unless neighbors agree or the vehicle is used for agricultural work and muffled. The draft wording stirred debate over whether the setback should be measured from a property line or 300 feet from a dwelling; one council member argued that a 300-foot property-line setback would effectively ban operation near most lakeshore homes.
Council members also discussed enforcement: staff noted the city enforces nuisance ordinances on a complaint basis, and a council member said the current ordinance is widely violated but rarely enforced. After extended discussion, council coalesced around adding a narrow exception for residents traveling to a dock: the working compromise was to allow short trips for dock access and staff confirmed an enforceable threshold. The working language agreed in-session was 15 minutes in a 1-hour period for dock access; staff (S2) said they would draft ordinance language to reflect that exception and bring it back for further consideration.
Council did not adopt the ordinance at the work session; instead, staff were directed to redraft the proposal to clarify setbacks and to include the dock-access time-limited exception.
