FAYETTEVILLE -- The City Council will wait at least two weeks before deciding whether to make it illegal to park in front of someone's mailbox.
A proposal to end term limits for resident boards and committees also was kept on its second reading Tuesday.
Council Action
Fayetteville’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• A request from the American Agape Foundation, a nonprofit organization wanting to issue bonds to pay for improvement to the Park Lake apartments, 1753 E. Zion Road.
• An agreement with the University of Arkansas to place a university natural gas line in city right-of-way.
• Authorizing buying new uniforms and bunker gear for the Fire Department.
Source: Staff Report
Aldermen are scheduled to revisit both issues May 5.
Alan Long, the Ward 4 representative who proposed the mailbox ban, said it's an effort to deal with a problem that's not addressed in city code.
No federal or state law prohibits blocking a mailbox either.
Yet, it's an issue the Fayetteville Police Department occasionally deals with.
According to Police Chief Greg Tabor, the department received 20 complaints about cars in front of mailboxes in 2014.
That number may be low, however, Tabor added, because people know there's nothing police can really do about the problem.
Laura Phillips, one of three residents to address the council Tuesday, said people need to be able to get their mail.
"It's not a frivolous thing," Phillips said. "If you have disabled or elderly or incapacitated neighbors and they can't get to their mailbox because somebody's parked in front of it, that's a reasonable thing to make ... a rule for."
Peter Tonnessen disagreed.
"I just have to question whether the City Council is going to legislate on everything that everybody does anywhere in the city," Tonnessen said. "You're talking about one minute of delivery versus nine hours of parking."
City Attorney Kit Williams stated in a March 31 memo "there may be some streets in Fayetteville, which have so many mailboxes and private driveways, that this ordinance would effectively prohibit almost all street parking from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday."
Alderman Justin Tennant asked Tuesday whether the ordinance could only be enforced -- like zoning infractions -- when there's a complaint.
"We can't have selective enforcement," Long responded.
Tabor said, like in any situation, officers would use their discretion in determining whether to write tickets.
"It's all just going to depend on the circumstances, the time of day, how busy we are and those types of things," he said. "But to make you a guarantee that an officer would just not take the initiative to do that on his own without a complaint, I'm not comfortable doing that."
Alderman Matthew Petty said he thought the $70 fine for blocking a mailbox was "a bit excessive." It's the same penalty someone would face if he parks in front of a fire hydrant or within 30 feet of a stop sign.
Petty recommended, instead, issuing a warning on the first two offenses with a $25 fine only after the third violation.
Aldermen agreed to consider his amendment at the next council meeting.
Long said his other proposal up for consideration Tuesday -- ending term limits -- would enable City Council members to select the best candidates for more than two dozen resident boards and committees.
Currently, residents are limited to two consecutive terms on groups such as the Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. After that, they must sit out a full term before reapplying in most circumstances.
There was no debate on the issue Tuesday, but, after the meeting, Alderman Mark Kinion said he wanted more time to talk about the proposal with people who serve on various boards and committees.
"We want to have the opportunity for new ideas and more perspectives," Kinion, chairman of the City Council's Nominating Committee, said, before adding, "There are valid arguments on both sides of the issue."
NW News on 04/22/2015