The West Linn City Council unanimously adopted three ordinances on June 16 amending Chapter 6 of the city municipal code to address painted-curb enforcement, portable storage containers and parking fines.

Council action changes how painted curbs are enforced, establishes a 72-hour limit (unless permitted) for portable storage or moving containers on residential streets, and directs parking fines to be set by the citys master fees and charges schedule, the council was told.

City staff said the painted-curb amendment (Ordinance 17-60) gives the city authority to cite vehicles parked along a curb painted red or yellow even when no sign is posted. "No additional marking such as a sign is required to establish a no parking, stopping, or standing zone," Chief Peter Mahuna told the council during the staff report. The amendment responds to resident complaints and to situations where curb paint may have faded but the restriction remains on the city inventory.

The second ordinance (17-61) addresses portable storage containers often called "pods." The new language makes placement of any portable or moving/storage container on a residential public street a violation if it remains longer than 72 hours, unless the owner obtains a permit from Public Works or a designee. Chief Mahuna said enforcement will be complaint-driven and that officers or code enforcement would first provide notice and an opportunity to obtain a permit before issuing citations.

The third ordinance (17-62) clarifies how parking fines are assessed by referencing the City of West Linn master fees and charges document rather than listing a static fine in the municipal code. Staff said the change was needed because the prior code language could have resulted in a disproportionate fine (one example cited was a theoretical $265 fine) and council direction favored a lower, clearer schedule.

Council discussion flagged several operational issues the city will address going forward: confirming that Public Works and GIS maintain an inventory and repaint schedule for painted curbs; continuing an education-before-enforcement approach for pods and curb violations; and further study of recurring parking conflicts near West Linn High School and neighborhood mailboxes. Councilors asked staff to pull call-log data for parking complaints and to bring the mailbox parking concern back for discussion.

All three ordinances passed first and second readings and were adopted by unanimous roll-call votes.

The ordinances are recorded as Ordinance 17-60 (painted-curb parking prohibition), Ordinance 17-61 (portable storage and moving containers in residential parking zones) and Ordinance 17-62 (parking violation fines).