Minibikes and stunt driving could soon be illegal in Jefferson City.
The Jefferson City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on ordinances banning minibikes and stunt driving, including burnouts and donuts, on public streets.
Minibikes
The proposed ordinance defines a minibike as a “two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a bicycle, e-bike, or motorized bicycle, and which is not registered for street use with the Missouri Department of Revenue.”
According to the proposed code language, minibikes include dirt bikes, mini-motorcycles, mini-bikes, pocket bikes, pit bikes and trail bikes, but do not include mopeds or electric scooters.
The ordinance would also require minibikes operated on public property to comply with the city’s noise ordinance.
Violations would carry a $75 fine for a first offense and a $150 fine for a second and subsequent offense.
The proposed code also states that if a Jefferson City police officer stops someone riding a minibike on a city street, the rider would not be allowed to drive the vehicle from the scene. At the officer’s discretion, the minibike could be towed to an impound lot, loaded into a car or truck and removed by the owner or the owner’s representative, or pushed away by the owner.
At the June 1 City Council meeting, Police Chief Eric Wilde said minibikes have become more common in recent years and are often operated recklessly, generating complaints from residents about safety and noise.
Stunt driving
The council agenda also includes an ordinance prohibiting stunt driving on city streets.
The proposed ordinance would ban activities including burnouts, wheelies, donuts, racing and “street takeovers,” in which traffic is blocked to allow stunt driving.
A first offense would carry a $100 fine, a second offense a $200 fine and a third or subsequent offense a $400 fine.
The proposed ordinance classifies first and second offenses as misdemeanors and third and subsequent offenses as Class E felonies.
Vacancy ordinance
The City Council will also consider a bill amending the process for filling council vacancies.
The council will soon appoint a replacement for former Ward 3 Councilman Derek Thomas, who resigned earlier this month to move out of state. The appointee would serve until April 2027.
Current city code requires the council to wait at least two weeks after a vacancy occurs before making nominations, hold a public forum for residents to meet nominees and then wait another two weeks before voting. Although the council can suspend those rules and act sooner, interim City Attorney Nathan Nickolaus said the process should be simplified through an official ordinance.
The proposed ordinance includes a new amendment excluding the mayor from the nomination process. This was the result of a discussion at the June 1 meeting about whether the mayor should be part of the City Council’s election process for a replacement council member.
Other agenda items
The council will hold public hearings and then vote on requests to:
Rezone 2117 Christy Drive to allow expansion of the adjacent Rusty Drewing Toyota dealership.
Rezone 3701 W. Truman Blvd. to allow additional commercial development on Hawthorn Bank’s 4.1-acre property.
Rezone 428 E. Capitol Ave. to allow the Missouri Chamber of Commerce to renovate its office building.
The council is also scheduled to vote on:
A policy allowing employees exempt from overtime pay to earn straight-time or time-and-a-half overtime wages during certain circumstances, including natural disasters, staffing shortages and public health emergencies.
An agreement with Cole County to share the cost of new 911 software, with the city paying $864,441 and the county paying $288,147.
A five-year service agreement for new 911 software at the Jefferson City Police Department costing $151,620 for the first year.
A $124,884 contract with Olsson Inc. to conduct a study of the city’s public transit system.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The Jefferson City Council will consider ordinances to prohibit minibikes and what is known as stunt driving and street takeovers on city streets. Groups of motorists sometimes gather on parking lots or city streets, like shown here on Cottonwood Street, to test their ability to perform burnouts,. From time to time, tire tracks can be seen in the adjacent farm fields, causing the farmer to have to re-work the field in that area.
