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Menno council adopts ordinance defining abandoned and junk vehicles
Summary
Menno adopted Ordinance #2026-2 on second reading to add definitions to Chapter 2 (Abandoned Vehicles), clarifying terms like 'Abandoned Motor Vehicle' and 'Junk Motor Vehicle' and citing SDCL §§32-36-1 and 32-36-2. The change is intended to address public-health and blight concerns.
The Menno City Council gave second reading and adopted Ordinance #2026-2 on July 20, 2026, amending Chapter 2 of the 2005 Revised Ordinances to add definitions related to abandoned and junk motor vehicles.
Council member Ron Diede moved to give the ordinance a second reading; Jacob Mettler seconded and the roll call vote was recorded as all votes aye. The ordinance text, entered into the minutes, enumerates definitions including 'Abandoned Motor Vehicle,' 'Junk Motor Vehicle,' 'Motor Vehicle,' 'Private Property,' 'Public Property,' 'Removal Agency' and 'Vehicle,' and cites South Dakota Codified Law sections (SDCL §32-36-2(1), (3), (4), (5) and SDCL 32-36-1).
The ordinance includes a declaration that abandoned, derelict and junk motor vehicles and other scrap metals pose hazards to public health, harbor vermin, present physical dangers and constitute a blight on the city landscape; it states that these conditions are in the public interest to eliminate and discourages future abandonment. The adopted language exempts vehicles enclosed within a building on private property and clarifies that the 'Removal Agency' may be a public body or an authorized private or nonprofit organization.
The ordinance as recorded is attested by Finance Officer Jodi Fischer and Mayor Darrell J. Mehlhaf. The minutes do not record additional debate, amendments, or dissent on the measure.
