New Fines Part Of Revised Warsaw Skateboard Ordinance Proposal
By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews
WARSAW – City Council on Tuesday, July 6, took the first of two votes on a measure that would tighten up its ban on skateboarding in the downtown business district.
And they’re looking at establishing fines to further deter those activities that are causing damage in Warsaw’s city hall parking lot.
Skateboarding has been prohibited in the downtown business district for several decades, but officials determined that the existing ordinance did not clearly include public parking areas, namely the city hall parking lot.
The downtown business district is bordered by Detroit Street, Lake Street, Fort Wayne Street and Winona Avenue.
A person who violates the policy could be fined up to $250 for the first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $750 for a third. Additional offenses could be fined as much as $2,500.
City Attorney Scott Reust said after Tuesday’s meeting that he was unsure how fines would work if the culprits are juveniles.
Council voted 7-0 on the proposal and is expected to look at a final vote later this month.
Councilmember Cindy Dobbins, whose district includes the downtown, said she thinks the changes are needed to reduce damage to public property and vehicles as well as the potential for personal injury.
Mayor Joe Thallemer also voiced support for the revised amendment.
In other matters:
- Councilman Jack Wilhite said he and others are looking at possible steps aimed at putting some kind of limits on fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday. Talk of some kind of ordinance surfaced a few weeks ago, but there was not enough time to develop and approve a plan before the holiday.
- A schedule for reviewing and adopting a budget for 2022 was announced. Council will review budget plans on Aug. 2 and Aug. 16 (both meetings will start at 6 p.m.). A public hearing and a first vote on the budget will be held on Sept. 20.