Photo by Monroe Roark
Kenneth City Town Council approved Ordinance 2026-004 on first reading June 10, moving forward with proposed changes to the Town’s parking and vehicle-storage rules despite resident concerns about access to the ordinance details.
The ordinance would amend Chapter 54 of the Town code, which regulates parking and vehicle storage in Kenneth City. It must return for a second reading before final adoption.
However, the vote occurred after residents asked Council to read the ordinance aloud, provide copies, and explain what the Town planned to change. The public agenda listed only the ordinance title and a broad description, stating the ordinance would update parking and vehicle-storage regulations within the town. It did not explain the specific changes.
The full agenda packet, later provided to The Gabber Newspaper by the Town Clerk, included several pages of May 13 workshop material outlining the proposed Chapter 54 changes. As of the day after the June 10 meeting, that packet still did not appear to be available on the Town’s website.
Residents Asked for Details
During the meeting, a resident asked Council to read Ordinance 2026-004 aloud and provide copies to the audience. Mayor Bob Arrison said residents could request a copy, but Council would not read the full ordinance during the meeting.
For resident Maureen Dolan, that answer did not address the larger issue.
“My main frustration is that for so many years — I think it’s been ten years — this Chapter 54 ordinance has been on the books and not enforced,” Dolan wrote in an email after the meeting.
Dolan said residents deserved to know what the Town planned to change before Council moved forward.
“That’s not transparency in government,” Dolan wrote. “That’s not answering your residents.”
The exchange appeared to reflect a communication breakdown rather than an intentional refusal to engage. Mayor Arrison later explained that he avoided answering questions during public comment because of Sunshine Law concerns and the Council’s practice of not debating issues from the dais during public comment. He also said many residents’ questions had been answered during the Town’s May workshop.
However, several frustrated residents left the meeting before hearing that explanation. As a result, they left with the impression that officials would not answer basic questions about what the ordinance would change.
That’s not all that happened at the June 10 Kenneth City Town Council meeting. Read about additional approvals.
Packet Shows Major Policy Choices
The packet later obtained by The Gabber Newspaper shows the ordinance involved more than minor cleanup.
The May 13 workshop summary compared recommendations from the Chapter 54 committee with staff recommendations. It listed points of agreement, disagreement, and major policy differences.
Those differences included whether vehicles could park beside driveways on unapproved surfaces, whether vehicles could park on vacant lots with owner permission, whether the Town should allow parking on both sides of certain residential streets, the required roadway clearance for emergency vehicles, and who should handle code enforcement.
The packet also showed that the committee and staff agreed on some areas, including adopting state traffic laws, creating a penalty structure, defining approved parking surfaces, and maintaining general parking restrictions such as blocking sidewalks, crosswalks, driveways, mailboxes, hydrants, intersections, painted gores, and bridges.
Still, the packet was unavailable online or at the meeting. Consequently, residents who missed the May workshop lacked the same context when the Council considered the ordinance on first reading.
Street Parking Draws Concern
Resident Paul Boberg said the town’s street-parking approach could create safety problems, especially for emergency vehicles.
“This is to get everything consistent in our neighborhoods,” Boberg said. “When I moved here 30 years ago, you could only park on one side of this street.”
Boberg said some one-side-parking signs have disappeared over the years. He questioned why the Town would move toward a 20-foot roadway clearance standard instead of clearly limiting parking to one side of the street.
“So now you’re gonna park them 20 feet apart, so that means a fire truck comes down to go to someone’s house, they have to weave in and out of the road,” Boberg said. “It’s odd. That’s not right. It’s ridiculous.”
The May 13 workshop summary shows the committee recommended one-side-only parking, with the side chosen by the police chief, town manager, or code enforcement. Staff removed that recommendation and replaced it with a 20-foot clearance standard, which could allow parking on both sides if enough roadway width remains.
Enforcement Questions Remain
Boberg also questioned whether the Town has the staffing and will to enforce the parking rules.
“The police department used to do code enforcement,” Boberg said. “Code enforcement is supposed to do it. But when we originally moved here, the police department did code enforcement.”
The May 13 workshop summary shows the committee and staff also differed on enforcement structure. The committee wanted the code enforcement officer definition to include police department responsibility and state-approved training. Staff agreed on using a code enforcement officer but removed police responsibility and the training requirement.
Boberg said residents still wanted clear answers about whether the Town would allow parking on both sides of streets and whether vehicles could park in yards.
“They couldn’t answer that,” he said.
Vehicles, Vacant Lots and Yards
The proposed changes also address vehicle storage beyond street parking.
According to the workshop summary, the committee recommended no vehicle parking on vacant lots. Staff recommended allowing it if the property owner gives permission and the vehicle sits on an approved surface. The packet labeled that issue a “major difference.”
The packet also shows debate over parking next to single-wide driveways. The committee recommended allowing a vehicle next to a driveway only on an approved parking surface. Staff recommended allowing a vehicle on an unapproved surface next to a driveway under certain conditions, including traffic safety and visibility.
The packet defined an approved parking surface as materials such as concrete, asphalt, pavers, gravel, shell, and similar surfaces.
Fines Would Follow
Council also considered Resolution 2026-001, which would adopt fines, penalties, and administrative costs for parking violations under Chapter 54.
The workshop material said Chapter 54 violations would follow state traffic law and the Town’s civil penalty schedule, which staff would apply through resolution.
That means the ordinance and resolution work together: one sets the rules, while the other creates the financial penalties for violations.
A Long Process, But Limited Access
The Chapter 54 rewrite followed months of committee work. The committee reviewed the ordinance section by section, discussed RVs, driveways, golf carts, hardships, grandfathering, green space, vacant lots, and enforcement, and sent recommendations to town staff and legal review.
At the May 13 meeting, town officials praised the committee for completing its work ahead of schedule. The meeting minutes say the town expected to hold the first reading in June, the second reading in July, and potentially begin enforcement around Aug. 1.
However, the June 10 meeting raised a different question: whether residents had enough access to the details before council considered the ordinance.
Dolan said telling residents to look up the ordinance online was insufficient, especially when the full packet was not posted.
“A simple question,” she wrote. “What was the original ordinance and what are you changing it to?”
What Comes Next
If Council adopts Ordinance 2026-004, Kenneth City will update Chapter 54 and begin enforcing revised parking and vehicle-storage rules.
But residents such as Dolan and Boberg said the Town needs to explain the changes clearly before enforcement begins.
For them, the issue is not only where people can park. It is whether residents can understand the rules before the town starts issuing fines.
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