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January 5, 2000
Council debatessnowmobile usePossible banon snowmobilesdiscussed,but tabledBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- Proposed changes to the city's snowmobile ordinance created debate during Tuesday's City Council meeting, leading to continuance of the matter for the Jan. 18 meeting. Under the existing ordinance, snowmobiles may not exceed 10 mph within the city limits and may only be used if the operator is heading out of town. "I am not in favor of the changes to this ordinance," Councilor Clark Tuttle said. "Snowmobiles should not be allowed in the city. The people have trailers, let them use them to haul the snowmobiles out of town for use. This is not the wild West. There is a certain safety hazard involved here." The ordinance allows snowmobiles to be used in alleys if the operators are taking the shortest route out of town, City Attorney Hugh Nierengarten said. New Ulm is one of the few cities in the state that still allows the use of snowmobiles within the city limits, Council President Daniel Beranek said. "This issue was addressed a number of years ago," Councilor Joel Albrecht said. "The reason they are allowed in the city in the first place was as a way to say thank you to the service the snowmobile clubs have done." The council must consider the convenience of snowmobiles during a snow emergency when vehicular travel is difficult, Albrecht said. "It is true that they can also be annoying, but we need to strike a balance," he said. "I am just not sure where that balance should be. We need to get some recommendations from the clubs." "I have been on somewhat of a teeter-totter on this issue," Beranek said. "I have had the trees knocked down in my yard because of snowmobiles and I have been close to banning their use, but I think we should be fair." The 10 mph limit will be difficult to enforce and snowmobilers should be capable of doing their own policing to maintain safe speeds, Councilor Denis Warta said. "There was about 2 inches of snow the other day and that certainly doesn't qualify as a snow emergency," Tuttle said. "People are using them in the alleys near my house. They are not intended for pleasure use in the city. Isn't it simple to say they should be banned except in an emergency?" The public needs time to react to the issue, and Tuesday's council meeting was not intended as a time to make a decision on banning snowmobiles, Beranek said. Another snowmobile issue is age limitations because operators over 14 can only cross streets at an angle and no one under 18 can operate them on streets, according to the ordinance. "Clarifications need to be made to the ordinance regardless of the outcome or the decision," City Manager Richard Salvati said. "There is a matter with excessive speeds and usage in parks, which is forbidden." Enforcement is the main issue with the ordinance because it is difficult to determine that the operator is actually heading out of town, Tuttle said. In other business, the council also accepted the recommendations from Beranek regarding the appointment of 118 people to 16 boards and commissions, as well as 44 ex-officio members and eight student representatives. There are 16 first-time members and 21 reappointments. During the meeting, the council also: * Approved an increase for mile reimbursements for city employees from 31 cents a mile to 32 1/2 cents a mile, in accordance with the United States Department of Internal Revenue guidelines. * Scheduled an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Jan. 18 to review the feasibility study for North Highland extension improvements prepared by Bolton & Menk. * Accepted a donation of $5,500 from Northern States Power to improve the lighting system at the Defenders Monument on Center Street.
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