Title
Incorporated County of Los Alamos Ordinance No. 02-367 a Code Ordinance Amending Section 38-299 of Chapter 38, Traffic and Vehicles, Relating to the Use of Handheld Mobile Communication Devices While Driving, and Repealing Section 38-35 in its Entirety and Replacing it with a New Section 38-135, Relating to Distracted Driving
Recommended Action
I move that Council amend Incorporated County of Los Alamos Ordinance No. 02-367, as presented in Attachment C, to be considered and voted upon at the May 6th Council meeting.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council amend Incorporated County of Los Alamos Code Ordinance No. 02-367 as presented in Attachment C
Body
Ordinance No. 02-367 was introduced on March 18, 2025 Council Meeting and is shown in Attachment A. The purpose of this ordinance is to encourage traffic safety and promote awareness of the risks associated with distracted driving. Shortly after the introduction of the Ordinance, it came to the attention of the staff that an addition was necessary to amend the definition of handheld mobile devices to specifically exclude radio microphones in a vehicle mounted radio. The Ordinance has been amended to reflect the necessary changes to allow for the use of radio microphones. In addition, staff took this opportunity to correct a couple of minor clerical errors from the introduced Ordinance.
In accordance with the County Charter Section 203.2.3, if Council approves the amendments to the Ordinance, Council may not adopt it until it has been considered by continuance of the meeting or at a future meeting not less than seven (7) days after the initial meeting. Council is being requested to approve the Amended Ordinance as shown on Attachment C, for it to be considered for adoption and voted upon at the May 6th Council regular session.
Attachment B shows the Publication Notice for the original Code Ordinance No. 02-367.
Attachments
A - Code Ordinance No. 02-367
B - Notice of Public Hearing
C - Code Ordinance No. 02-367 Amended