Ordinance revisions fail to pass first reading

The process of finalizing the revised Royal code of ordinances will take a little bit longer to complete.

City council members voted to not approve the first reading of the new ordinances on Nov. 10. The main item of concern discussed during the public hearing was weight limits on residential streets.

City Clerk Barb Fletcher and Mayor Josh Toft began the hearing by explaining the reasons and process for revising the entire code book and some of the changes.

“Most of it is the same,” Fletcher noted.

“Our goal was to make it easier to understand,” Toft added.

Semi owner/operators raised questions about weight limits, including the rationale for them, fairness of enforcement and why the city does not create a place for semi parking.

According to discussion, city officials are concerned that excess vehicle weight will cause further deterioration of streets, which already need to be repaired. Toft explained that specific weights are not listed in the ordinance but would be posted on signage on the affected streets.

“Our streets are not good in Royal. We do not have $600,000 to fix two blocks of Main Street and we don’t have enough to fix other streets,” he said.

He noted the council has attempted to find a place for semi parking, but no appropriate location has been identified.

Also discussed was a suggestion that the city require permits in order for trucks to use certain streets. Those who were present indicated they would move from Royal if a satisfactory solution was not found.

They were assured the city was “not trying to drive out truckers,” but it was necessary to protect the condition of streets.

“I’ve been racking my brains about allowing truckers to bring their trucks into town,” said Council Member Jim Virelli. “The council needs to have more discussion on this. I want to find a solution, but it won’t be an easy one.”

The council agreed to do further research regarding permits and parking options.

• Prioritizing street repairs

The mayor and council also discussed street repairs. Toft said that DeLoss Construction is willing to inspect Royal’s streets, prioritize which should be repaired first and provide an estimate on costs.

According to discussion, grant funding is not available for resurfacing of streets. Infrastructure improvements such as water mains or storm drainage or the addition of curb and gutter would also have to be made.

Maintenance Superintendent Sherman Nielsen suggested that drainage improvements could be included in a project involving Royal’s Main Street. Several streets in residential areas are also in need of those improvements.

“We’re probably not in a place to talk about a $1.5 million project, even with grant money,” said Council Member Matt Goyette. “But we need to have a place to start.”

• Wages, other business

In other business, salary increases of 3 percent for Nielsen and Fletcher were approved. Their hourly wages for 2022 will be $20.60 and $18.02, respectively. Council members took into consideration a 7.6 percent increase in health insurance premiums in 2022 when deciding on salary amounts.

Hourly pay increases of 5 percent for part time employees were also granted.

Availability issues and price increases have delayed the purchase of a new mower. According to Nielsen, the price of a Ferris mower has increased to $12,000 and the price of another model also exceeds the spending limit set by the council. Nielsen was asked to check out mowers again and bring back updated information to the next meeting.

The council agreed to share the cost of installing a meter in the fire station in order to monitor water loss.