RVRGIRL
Taurus
HDF Supporter
Poopsie Bubble Buns
 
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Posts: 2,220
APPD 0.27
Post Rank: 29
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Posted: June 28 2006,5:48 pm |
Post # 1 |
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Channel rules gets OK
BY MICHAEL HAYS
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 11:26 PM MDT
The Lake Havasu City Council in an unanimous vote on Tuesday approved the wording on a comprehensive ordinance dealing with violent, disruptive, and loud behavior, including excessive alcohol consumption in the channel.
City Attorney Paul Lenkowsky, at the direction of the Council, wrote “Offensive Conduct in Public Places.â€
If approved, the ordinance will apply to all public places, as it implies, not just the channel.
The ordinance could not be formally adopted Tuesday night, since this meeting was a work session.
In response to a question from Councilwoman Cindy Aldridge on whether the new ordinance is redundant, Lenkowsky responded, “This ordinance does not represent a duplication. There is no statute that prohibits intoxication, per se. This one does.â€
Violators could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable with a fine up to $2,500 and/or a prison sentence not to exceed six months. Class 1 is the highest class of misdemeanor crime.
In separate motions made before Council, the panel also directed Lenkowsky to draft an ordinance requiring mooring points at existing seawalls to be 15 feet apart.
Council also directed Lenkowsky to draft a municipal ordinance that would prohibit violation of an existing Arizona state law spelling out where passengers can ride on a boat. Police staff feels that partiers dancing on bows of boats tend to incite crowds. A.R.S. 5-341 outlines where boat passengers cannot sit when the watercraft is above wake-less speed.
Councilman Bruce Hinman presented a drawing behind Council to illustrate why he supports 15-feet mooring sections, rather than the 11-foot sections favored by the Independent Channel Task Force.
“I've always been concerned about swimming in the channel,†Hinman said, mentioning the tragic drownings that occurred in June.
“From a safety standpoint, maybe 15 feet (between mooring points) is adequate area for cooling off in the water,†he said.
Hinman argued that shorter distances between boats would lead more visitors to wade at the back of the boat, where problems have occurred in the past.
Public comment on the new channel conduct ordinance was varied and at times, animated.
John Parrott of Coldwell Banker, a member on the Independent Channel Taskforce, opposed the measure.
“The Convention and Visitors Bureau spends time, effort, and money inviting people to come here,†he began.
“If any guests are going to decide to move here, to bombard these people with more and more laws doesn't make sense,†Parrott said, noting the “terrible job†done by local news outlets covering this issue.
Greg Staples, a resident, strongly supported local boaters and its industry.
“It strikes me there aren't a lot of boaters on this Council,†Staples said.
Referring to previous speakers during the evening that supported tougher laws on channel behavior, he said, “They've had their fun, and they've forgotten what it's like. ... We boat, we vote, you need to know that,†Staples said to Council.
Resident Dan Baldwin took a moral approach to the issue.
“I think we need to legislate morality. You say we can't, but I think we can,†he said.
The impetus behind adding this ordinance to City Code was in part previous testimony from Doyle stating that officers would be able to perform their jobs more effectively over busy holiday weekends if they could remove groups causing problems from the channel.
 Thats "MRS" RVRGIRL 2 you..... "When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt."
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