Norris passes watered-down version of parking ordinance
Instead of approving the original version of a new ordinance in Norris that would have banned parking on all but five city streets, the City Council on Monday night passed on final reading a modified version that lists just nine streets where no parking will be allowed.
In the version the council approved, no on-street parking will be permitted on the following roads: East Norris, Dairy Pond, Reservoir, Reservoir Hill, West Norris, Dale, Pine, Garden and Oak.
The council came up with the new, limited version of the ordinance during a workshop meeting last week, after having passed the more-restrictive measure on first reading during a special meeting Oct. 24.
Several citizens complained during the Oct. 24 meeting that the original version would leave them nowhere to park in their neighborhoods, so the council decided to schedule the workshop for Dec. 6 to address their concerns.
That led to the less-restrictive ordinance, which basically bans parking on major city thoroughfares where parking was already not allowed, but added a few, including Reservoir Hill Road.
The council unanimously approved the revised ordinance on second reading after voting first to amend it to include the new language with the list of roads where parking would be banned.
As originally written and passed on first reading, Ordinance 662 would have prohibited parking “on all city streets except Hickory Trail, Hawthorne Place, Hickory Place, Ridgeway Court and Chestnut Drive.”
To help maintain traffic flow and give emergency vehicles ready access to residences, the measure was initially proposed by the police and fire departments.
The ordinance says, “Current parking regulations do not adequately address the safety needs of the community; and … the Norris City Council wishes to prohibit street parking on certain roadways to allow for clearer, safer, and more easily traversable streets.”
There are some exceptions on the restricted roads:
“This prohibition shall not apply to drivers of delivery vehicles when actively making deliveries and off-street parking is unavailable, provided that such parking is not in violation of any other part of this code and so long as the parked delivery vehicle has flashing lights, is visible from a distance of 200 feet in each direction, and maintains at least 12 feet of clearance in the roadway.
“Nor shall this prohibition apply to emergency services, city employees acting in their official duties, or anyone performing official duties on behalf of the city.”
Assistant City Manager Bailey Whited presented the ordinance to the council Oct. 24, and detailed how the police department had been measuring clearances on streets where people have routinely been parking, and noted that in many cases parked vehicles were leaving less than 12 feet open – which is the minimum required for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles.
In other business during Monday night’s meeting, the council:
n Passed unanimously on second and final reading an ordinance that makes it permanent for the five-person City Council to continue to serve as the Norris Water Commission, which it has been doing since previous members resigned in May.
The ordinance had been approved on first reading on Nov. 13.
Once a highly contentious idea that was fought by a group led by some of the former water commissioners, the move saw no opposition on Monday night.
But on Nov. 13, Councilman Will Grinder said he had opposed the idea from the start.
“I don’t support it being a permanent thing,” he said.
Still, he voted in favor of the ordinance on first and second readings.
City Waterworks Superintendent Tony Wilkerson said in November that he supported the measure, which he believes would help maintain stability for the Water Commission as the city deals with a state mandate to make millions of dollars in improvements to the city sewer system to eliminate environmental issues.
n Approved contracts with Thomas R. Hicks Construction Co. of Clinton for $41,900 to build a new pavilion at the city’s Oak Road Park, and for $69,500 to repair the roof on the city’s public service building, which houses the fire and police departments.
n Approved purchase of side-by-side all-terrain vehicle for the Police Department for $28,562.