John Scarffe, Nederland.     The Town of Nederland Board of Trustees discussed possible Town code changes for inoperable vehicles during the regular meeting on Tuesday, July 1. Mayor Pro-Tem Peter Fiori led the meeting.

  The Town’s contract code official has requested that the Board consider the Municipal Code related to inoperable vehicles, according to background information. The Town’s pilot code enforcement program began on May 7, and this code has presented difficulties in enforcement due to some conflicting language.

The Board may wish to determine what goals it wishes to meet related to vehicles and whether the current codes align with those goals.  Some reasons for regulations against inoperable vehicles include limiting junked vehicles or those in various states of repair, as well as to limit use of vehicles as receptacles for garbage and other refuse, or to avoid creating attractive nuisances for varmints or predatory animals.

Vehicles must be registered to operate on public streets. The Code does provide for the removal of inoperable vehicles from view of the public right of way into a garage or similar building to cure the violation.

Town Administrator Alisha Reis said one or more conditions may be met for an inoperable vehicle, and the current statute may be deemed unfair unless automobile repair shops are allowed as single vehicle use. Otherwise the Code says it’s okay to have an inoperable vehicle on business property.

Trustee Kristopher Larsen said the Board needs to clean up what it means to be inoperable. “If you want to park your car for a year and go to Europe, that’s okay,” Larsen said, “but if it doesn’t have plates and needs to be hauled away that’s something else.”

Trustee Topher Donahue said a lot of this just encourages driving. “Part of our entire town is inoperable vehicles,” he said. “It just encourages driving and doesn’t fit sustainability for Nederland.”

Trustee Randy Lee said some have the idea that broken-down vehicles add to the Town’s charm. “I don’t find that charming. It’s all junk. That’s a problem this town has.”

Fiori asked the staff to bring back a proposal doing away with the nonregistered language and with three options to choose from: 90, 60, and 30 days.