(a) Council hereby authorized and creates an emergency parking ban which shall be in force and effect whenever an emergency is declared to exist in that such a heavy snow storm or other natural disaster constitutes a serious public hazard impairing transportation, the movement of food and fuel supplies, medical care, fire, health and police protection and other vital facilities of the City. An emergency within the meaning of this section shall exist:
(1) Whenever, during any period of twenty-four hours or less, snow falls in the City, or in any section thereof; or
(2) Whenever any other natural disaster including but not limited to storms, floods, tornadoes, etc., is declared by the Director of Public Safety.
(b) Such emergency parking ban shall continue until an announcement by the Director of Public Safety that snow plowing operations, debris removal, emergency assistance or any other procedure necessary to render the emergency nonexistent has been completed, which announcement shall be made in the same manner as described in subsection (c) hereof.
(c) Whenever such a snow or other natural disaster emergency exists, the Director of Public Safety shall request the co-operation of the local press and radio and television stations to announce the emergency and the time that emergency parking regulations will become effective, which time shall be no sooner than one hour after the first announcement. Such announcement by two local or area radio stations, or two local or area television stations, or in a daily newspaper of general circulation published in the City, shall constitute notice to the general public of the existence of the emergency, except that the owners and operators of motor vehicles shall have full responsibility to determine existing weather conditions and to comply with the emergency parking regulations.
(d) During the period of the emergency:
(1) The Director of Public Safety may prohibit the parking of any vehicles upon any or all of the City streets designated as through streets or highways by law; and
(2) No person shall park or cause or permit to be parked or abandon or leave unattended, any vehicle of any kind or description upon such specified streets except that vehicles may be parked for a period of not longer than three minutes for actual loading or unloading of passengers or thirty minutes for actual loading or unloading of property, provided that no other ordinance restricting parking as to place or time is violated thereby.
(e) When the Director of Public Safety deems it necessary, he shall cause appropriate signs to be posted accordingly as herein designated and curbing to be painted yellow where necessary, and shall make any other necessary changes not inconsistent with this section to provide notice or warning to the public of an existing snowfall or other natural disaster emergency.
(f) The Director of Public Safety or his authorized agents shall cause any vehicle violating the emergency parking ban to be towed at the expense of the owner or operator.
(Ord. 1974-11. Passed 2-4-74.)
(g) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one predicate motor vehicle or traffic offense, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of two or more predicate motor vehicle or traffic offenses, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.