Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Legal Services

TO:	Toni Ramirez Wheeler, Director of Legal Services
FROM:	Scott J. Miller, Staff Attorney
Date:	August 19, 2008
RE:	Ordinance 8314 – 2008 Standard Traffic Ordinance

Attached please find Ordinance 8314, which adopts by reference the 2008 Standard Traffic Ordinance for Kansas Cities prepared by the League of Kansas Municipalities.

The last legislative session was reasonably quiet when it comes to the amendment of the Kansas traffic laws that are the foundation of the STO.  The only truly new section is one regulating the use of micro utility trucks, which replaces the previous regulation on work-site utility vehicles.  Micro utility trucks are motor vehicles not less than 48” wide, not more than 144 inches long, that have unladen weights of more than 1500 pounds, metal cabs and that can exceed 40 miles per hour as originally designed.  The new section illegalizes their operation on any interstate, federal or state highway as well as on public streets within the city limits of any city, including Lawrence, that has not authorized their use.

In addition, the new STO increases the Kansas driver’s license reinstatement fee from $50 to $59 per charge.  This fee is assessed when someone’s license is suspended when they fail to comply with a traffic citation.  Finally, a provision is added to explicitly require that scheduled fines for speeding tickets be doubled for offenses occurring within school zones.

Because it is important for the City of Lawrence to maintain consistency between its traffic code provisions and the provisions of Kansas law, it is my recommendation that this ordinance be adopted.  As drafted, the ordinance will go into effect on September 14^th.