ONAWAY - An ordinance aimed at curbing blight caused by junk cars has been amended by Onaway's city commissioners, who voted to keep an exception for race cars.
The revised ordinance allows for owners of a race car to store it on a licensed trailer in their driveway between May 1 and Sept. 15. The vehicle can't be started, repaired or disassembled outside of a garage. City Manager Joe Hefele said previous requirements that the race car have license plates and insurance were removed.
The ordinance is intended to eliminate things that lower the value of neighboring properties, Hefele said.
"The fact that a vehicle does or doesn't have a plate or insurance really doesn't have an impact on the property values of neighbors," he said. The requirement would also unintentionally punish those trying to sell a working vehicle parked in their driveway.
Requiring plates and insurance also was nearly impossible to enforce, Hefele said. As the zoning ordinance enforcer for the city, he said he had to go on "fishing expeditions" in the past, since he sometimes couldn't tell if a vehicle had license plates without trespassing. This resulted in him issuing blight tickets that were overturned when the vehicle's owners proved that the vehicles had plates and insurance.
The city commission was considering removing the exception for racing cars altogether, Hefele said. He told commissioners that he believed this would unfairly penalize the majority of racing car owners, while those who ignored the law would continue to do so.
Jim Dubois, co-owner of Onaway Speedway, said he believed the exemption to be too strict, and likely unenforceable.
"Most of the people in town who participate in racing at the speedway are very responsible," he said, adding that he understood why the city would want to regulate cars on residential property.
"I know one guy had six derby cars in their front lawn," he said.
The junk car ordinance exception refers to cars designed to be raced on "licensed race tracks in the state of Michigan." Dubois said his track has a business license, but he isn't aware of any licensing requirements for automobile race tracks beyond that.
Dubois also questioned how the city would define whether a vehicle had been modified for racing.
"I could get around that by putting an (off-road vehicle) sticker on my car," he said.
In other business, commissioners are considering a list of projects and purchases for fiscal year 2012's budget, Hefele said. Commissioners will look at cost estimates and begin to determine which ones the city can afford at a budget and planning workshop at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Jordan Travis can be reached via email at jtravis@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.