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Council moves forward with ordinance draft to allow drone deliveries from Walmart site
Summary
Council reviewed a draft ordinance to permit drone delivery operations (company: Wing; retailer: Walmart). Members asked staff to send the draft to planning commission and placed the ordinance on the upcoming consent agenda pending commission review.
Council discussed a proposed ordinance to allow a drone-delivery operation (Wing) to operate from a designated location in a Walmart parking lot. The chair explained the operation: mapped drop sites, selectable delivery locations, and safe landing procedures if a drone cannot complete delivery. "They actually lower it on a string... it's not like it's just dropped," Speaker 3 said when describing the delivery method.
Members raised questions about FAA/airspace coordination (Hill Air Force Base), noise and privacy, theft risk, and where liability would fall. Staff explained operators perform daily safety checks and the company would site docks and a small shed occupying a handful of parking spaces. The council directed staff to send the draft ordinance to the planning commission for review and to bring the ordinance to the next council meeting (potentially on consent) after that review.
