Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

HANNIBAL, MO. -- Hannibal Police are getting serious about cleaning up the streets and neighborhoods.

City manager Jeff LaGarce and Mayor Roy Hark want to add more laws to the books in Hannibal...and plan to introduce them at next week's city council meeting.

They plan to restore the residential character and improve the safety in Hannibal neighborhoods.

The first proposed legislation requires all vehicles to be parked on a solid driveway surface and not on the front yard.

"A lot of times when you have vehicles parked in the front yard you've got a driveway there too that's just not being used. So, really, it tends to prevent the property from being torn up and it keeps mud from being scattered throughout the neighborhoods," said City Manager Jeff LaGarce.

The second new measure restricts parking commercial vehicles on residential streets. Along with that, you will not be able to store commercial vehicles and equipment in residential neighborhoods.

"As we were developing this front yard parking ordinance, it became apparent that there was probably more to do than just that to restore the residential character of neighborhoods," said LaGarce.

The city also wants to establish permits for temporary construction and dumpsters.

"If you're coming down the street and it's raining, or it's foggy, dark at night, or whatever it might be, if those dumpsters aren't properly illuminated, there's not reflectors on them, you could run into one," said Hannibal Mayor Roy Hark.

The one resolution they will propose will adopt new residential driveway standards. The current standards were set in 1989. The changes will provide a variety of ways for residents to expand their driveways, but also limits expansions.

"We're hoping that these ordinances will maybe make people more aware and they'll say, 'maybe I'm breaking that ordinance myself and never thought about it,'" said Hark.

Hannibal Police Department will be in charge of enforcing the commercial-industrial vehicles on streets. The building inspectors and city engineer offices will deal with the rest.

These ordinances will take effect on January 4 if passed by the city council but enforcement won't begin until April 1st.