Several high-profile ordinances head to final vote before City Council

Agenda includes measures affecting city finances, utility bills, residential pools, development reviews and recreational facilities

MANDEVILLE — The City Council will consider six ordinances for final adoption Thursday, including measures that would require the city to maintain minimum General Fund reserves equal to at least 20 percent of annual operating expenditures and temporarily cap residential sewer charges for one year. The agenda also includes proposals affecting residential swimming pools, development traffic studies and the use of electric bicycles in city recreational areas.

Read the June 11 City Council meeting agenda here…

Traffic Impact Analysis Policy

Ordinance 26-13 — Traffic impact analyses for development projects

Summary: This ordinance would significantly revise CLURO Article 8.4 governing traffic impact analyses (TIAs) and clarify that when a TIA is required, the applicant must pay for it, but the city—not the developer—would select and procure the engineer who prepares it.

Key changes:

• Establishes and clarifies thresholds that trigger a TIA.
• Requires applicants to provide trip-generation data.
• Requires the city to hire the TIA consultant, with the applicant paying the cost.
• Requires TIA reports to be publicly available.
• Allows applicants to submit an additional TIA, but city-sponsored studies would receive greater weight during review.
  

Practical effect: Developers would lose direct control over selecting the traffic engineer performing a required study, while the public would gain greater access to traffic analysis information.

Minimum Unassigned Fund Balance Policy

Ordinance 26-16 — Unassigned fund balance policy

Summary: Establishes a formal city policy requiring Mandeville to maintain unassigned General Fund reserves equal to at least 20 percent of annual operating expenditures.

Key changes:

• Creates new Section 14-12.
• Defines “unassigned fund balance.”
• Prohibits adoption of a budget that would reduce unassigned reserves below 20 percent of operating expenditures.
• Excludes capital projects, transfers and certain carry-forwards from the calculation.
  

Practical effect: Places a floor under city reserves and makes it harder for future councils to budget reserves below the 20 percent threshold.

Water Rates and Swimming Pool Changes

Ordinance 26-20 — Temporary sewer bill cap

Summary: Would place a temporary one-year cap on residential sewer charges at $83.25 per month, regardless of water consumption above the cap threshold.

Key changes:

• Adds a new subsection to Section 17-15.
• Caps residential sewer bills from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027.
• Intended as a temporary measure while the city explores a winter-quarter averaging billing system.
  

Practical effect: High-volume residential water users would see their sewer bills capped, while lower-volume users would see no change.

Ordinance 26-21 — Residential swimming pool regulations

Summary: Creates a comprehensive new section of city code 9.9 regulating residential swimming pools, including fencing requirements, maintenance standards, inspections and enforcement provisions.

Key changes:

• Requires pools capable of holding 18 inches or more of water to be enclosed by a fence or wall meeting specific standards.
• Requires gates to be self-closing and self-latching.
• Requires pool maintenance standards aimed at preventing mosquito breeding and nuisance conditions.
• Authorizes inspections by police and code enforcement officers upon reasonable suspicion and notice.
• Gives existing pool owners 120 days to comply.
• Prohibits variances from the new standards.
  

Practical effect: Creates one of the more detailed residential pool regulations in city code and would affect virtually every residential pool owner in Mandeville.

Bicycle Behavior Regulations

Ordinance 26-22 — Neighborwoods Park e-bike and motorized vehicle restrictions

Summary: Revises Neighborwoods Park rules to expressly prohibit e-bikes, e-scooters and other motorized recreational vehicles on park trails while continuing to allow traditional bicycles.

Key changes:

• Allows hikers, pets, non-motorized bicycles and accessibility devices.
• Requires bicycles to yield to pedestrians.
• Prohibits e-bikes of all classes, e-scooters, ATVs, golf carts, motorcycles and similar motorized vehicles.
• Creates corresponding signage requirements.
• Exempts police, emergency and city maintenance vehicles.
  

Practical effect: Traditional bicycles remain allowed, but electric bicycles and other motorized recreational devices would be banned from Neighborwoods trails.

Ordinance 26-23 — Trailhead bicycle and e-bike ban

Summary: Amends Trailhead rules to prohibit bicycles and electric bicycles within the Trailhead facility itself.

Key changes:

• Adds bicycles and electric bicycles to the list of prohibited activities.
• Requires updated Trailhead signage stating “No Bicycles or Electric Bicycles.”
• Leaves existing prohibitions on skateboards, roller skates and roller blades in place.
  

Practical effect: Riding bicycles and e-bikes would no longer be permitted in the Trailhead event area, including the splash pad, pavilion area, stage and arena, and marketplace area. Rollerskating, rollerblading and skateboarding are already prohibited in these areas. This ordinance does not apply to the parish-operated Tammany Trace itself; it applies to the city-owned Trailhead facilities adjacent to the Tammany Trace.

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