Council reviews draft model traffic ordinance, debates RV and right-of-way rules

Councilor Bill presented a draft ordinance that would replace scattered local traffic provisions with language modeled on the Washington Administrative Code and that would clarify how the town handles RVs and trailers parked in rights of way. He said the draft is for council discussion, not immediate adoption: "now, we have a model traffic ordinance," and he asked colleagues to review the redlined text for specifics.

Bill walked the council through a case at 2nd Avenue and Idaho Street where a house trailer and other vehicles appear near utility poles that mark the right of way. He said the current 72-hour rule—passed "a couple of years ago" to discourage long-term street parking by people living in vehicles—was not always intended to apply to operable trailers on a homeowner's property. "So the way I reworded it is simply to say that you could park it on your property in the right way," he said, adding that living in a vehicle would still be prohibited.

Council questions focused on enforcement and zoning. Brian, a staff member, noted several of the draft's changes add specifics such as maximum RV length and deleted references to a city police department, shifting enforcement language toward the county level. The lieutenant emphasized the sheriff's office enforces state and county law under contract, and that local notices and fines would likely remain the city's responsibility for smaller violations: "if you do start seeing an uptake or do have legitimate concerns about traffic issues within the city, we now have people that are subject matter experts," the lieutenant said.

No ordinance was adopted; the council directed staff to rework the draft with clearer limits, consult planners on zoning-screening language, and return with a refined version for future consideration.