Tonka Bay City Council — Transcript
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Telecommunications Offer Proposal
Road Maintenance and Winter Road Management Plan
Votes (3)
Regulation of Golf Carts, UTVs, and ATVs
The council discussed amending an ordinance to allow golf carts, UTVs, and ATVs on city roadways. Previous council direction was to simplify and remove permit requirements, but legal counsel clarified that state statute mandates a permit. Discussions revolved around the administrative burden of permits, potential fees (suggested $10 per person for a three-year permit), the need for a physical document or sticker for law enforcement, and whether permits should be per person or per vehicle/household. The consensus was to move forward with a permit system.
Ordinance for Keeping Chickens and Bees
The council revisited an ordinance allowing residents to keep chickens and bees. While earlier discussions showed little appetite, new interest emerged. Key points of debate included setback requirements for coops and hives (25 feet from adjacent principal structure for chickens, 10 feet from property lines; accessory structure setbacks for bees - 8 feet side/rear, 6 feet other buildings), managing neighbor disputes, license duration (one-year or two-year terms), and potential fees ($10-20 per license). The council decided to move forward with a two-year license term and to remove a clause prohibiting chickens inside dwellings.
Adjournment
Moved by Anderson [7:03] · Seconded by Ross [7:03]
A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the regular council work session. The motion passed without further discussion.
Notable Quotes (7)
But the state statute does say that cities are allowed to allow these special use vehicles on designated city roadways, but it does state that the authorization must be pursuant to a permit. It says, 'Authorization to operate a motorized golf cart, ATV, et cetera, is by permit only.'
I'm just thinking it would be similar to your vehicle in that you should probably carry your insurance coverage and your permit. And I think, which in this case, would act as kind of your registration.
So the way this is structured, the person needs the permit, as it's drafted. And that person who is the operator needs to have a valid driver's license, has insurance, et cetera.
My understanding was that there wasn't a significant appetite by the council to move forward with chickens or bees at this time. There was a little bit more interest in bees than chickens, but just wanted to circle back with the UTBs to see at this time, does the council want to move forward with chickens, bees, or neither?
So there's a chicken coop setback of 25 feet from the principal structure on the adjacent lot and 10 feet from all property lines.
I love this. I love chickens. I like the bees, primarily because I think that residents and homeowners should be able to make these types of decisions. But do we have a sense on how most residents feel about this type of thing, in your experience, in past conversations?
Should we just remove it? That's my thinking. We also can address it usually in the city animal section. There's a way farm animals are typically addressed in that section, too, so I'll just remove F, five F.
Ordinances & Resolutions (9)
Requires cities to issue permits for special use vehicles (golf carts, UTVs, ATVs) on designated city roadways.
Proposed permit for operating special use vehicles; initially suggested a 3-year term with potential for annual or individual permits. Fee discussed as $10 per person.
Existing city document that would need an addition for special use vehicle permits.
Reference to a section in the city's code related to chickens and bees.
Proposed license for residents to keep chickens and bees; discussion about 1-year or 2-year terms. Fee suggested at $10-20.
Zoning district referenced for accessory structure setbacks relevant to beehives.
General section of city code that addresses farm animals; suggested as a place for rules about keeping chickens inside dwellings.
Required for ground-mounted communication devices exceeding 15 feet in height.
Formal plan requested to ensure proper care and longevity of city roadways, including seal coating practices and winter management.