The Jefferson Code and Law Enforcement Committee met earlier this week.
The committee is recommending a few changes to the City Council in regards to its outdoor warning siren activation policy. Currently, the sirens are zone-based and if the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for a location outside of the City but in the path of a tornado, the siren would be activated. Police Chief Morlan brought up one example last year when the sirens were activated because a tornado warning was issued in Carroll County, but there wasn’t any sign of tornadic activity in Jefferson. Committee Chair Harry Ahrenholtz talks about the proposed change to the policy.
“Imminent danger is what the people are warned off and that’s when the sirens will go off. So that the sirens really have more of an impact and a degree of urgency maybe then what they have at some points in the past.”
Another topic that was discussed was about the snow ordinance. The current ordinance says: “No person shall park, abandon or leave unattended any vehicle on any public street, alley, or City-owned off-street parking area between the hours of 6:00pm and 6:00am from the time there has been an accumulation of one-half inch of snow until the snow has ceased to fall and has been removed or plowed from said street, alley or parking area.”
Chief Morlan said that for a typical snow event, the plows would start around midnight and take four hours to complete their routes. That leaves two hours for officers to issue citations for those vehicles left on the street that a plow had to maneuver around. The committee is recommending to the Council to remove the time limit so that it not only benefits the police department but also the plows adds Ahrenholtz.
“So we’re going to try and take that time limit out so that it provides a better opportunity for snow crews to get those streets plowed in a timely manner and not have cars in the street blocking that progress.”
Another change the committee suggests is incorporating all businesses within the commercial and light industrial zones to follow the 2am-6am no parking time limit for snow removal. That part of the policy is only enforced for businesses around the downtown square.
All changes must go before the Council for final approval.