Council addresses commercial truck issue
At Monday’s meeting, the Russellville City Council discussed a potential ordinance that would address some residents’ concerns about commercial truck traffic in residential areas.
According to councilman David Palmer, he and city attorney Danny McDowell have been working on an ordinance that would attempt to regulate commercial truck use in certain residential areas where the truck use could be deemed unsafe or harmful.
Palmer said the ordinance was something the council had to consider after several residents in the Hester Heights subdivision contacted him about the commercial trucks that have been hauling timber in and out of the subdivision in recent months.
“We don’t want to inhibit the private sector from conducting their business, but when people buy a lot in a subdivision, they have certain expectations about that property,” Palmer said.
“Our goal is to protect the rights of these residents while still providing access as needed by these companies.”
Palmer said they were still working on the ordinance and should have the completed ordinance ready to present to the council by the next meeting on Aug. 4.
He said the intent was to create an ordinance that not only applied to the Hester Heights subdivision but that was applicable citywide.
“There are several factors we have to consider and things that we need to discuss, but basically it just comes down to an issue of safety and of maintenance,” Palmer said.
“We want our residents to feel safe in their subdivisions and neighborhoods that are zoned as residential areas, and many of them don’t feel that way with large trucks constantly driving by their homes.
“We also have to consider that some of these city roads weren’t meant to have large trucks driving on them and it could cause issues for the city in the future.
“We are taking all of these things into consideration and will hopefully have a comprehensive ordinance by the next meeting.”
In other business, the city council addressed the following issues:
• Approved a modification agreement with Valley State Bank.
• Approved the appointment of Joan Pace to the Russellville Electric Board to fill the vacant spot left by the passing of her husband, Tom Pace.
• Approved a five percent raise for Ronnie Rose for completion of Fire Officer I, Fire Inspector I, and Fire Fighter II.
