Council split on decision to end early

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

New York Mills’ new calendar parking ordinance will end a few weeks early this year. 

During a special NY Mills City Council meeting on Monday, March 4, the city council approved ending the new calendar parking ordinance  effective immediately for the 2023-24 winter season. The ordinance was adopted for the first time this winter with the intended goal of making snow removal a bit easier and more effective for city staff. 

Mother Nature did its part this winter as little-to-no snow fell throughout the region and made snow removal quite easy for city staff. With no snow forecasted for much of March, as well as a number of concerns that have been raised by residents concerning the new ordinance, the city council approved ending the calendar parking ordinance about a month early. The city council voted by a 3-2 margin with Latham Hetland, Marsha Maki and Jerry Nesland voting in favor, while Richard Grotheer and Eric Hammond voting in dissent to end calendar parking prior to the April 1 deadline.

Nesland and Maki both said there needed to be more education done about the new calendar parking ordinance prior to the next winter season. There have also been concerns raised by residents concerning things like cul de sacs, whether the ordinance should be enforced if there is no snow being removed and how to address areas of town where there are both odd and even number houses on both sides of the street. 

In voting in dissent of ending the calendar parking ordinance early, Grotheer said he was in favor of letting the calendar ordinance stand since the calendar ordinance does not only have to do with snow removal. 

In addition to ending the ordinance early, the city council approved returning all of the proceeds collected for the new calendar parking ordinance.

As part of the ordinance, no vehicle or equipment was able to park on the side of the road featuring odd-numbered addresses on odd-numbered days and even-numbered addresses on even-numbered days. The calendar parking ordinance began on October 1 was scheduled to go through April 1. 

City council members said they will focus on educating the public about the new ordinance over the next several months before going back into effect next fall.