WINNEBAGO - Semi-trailer truck parking has been a contentious issue in Winnebago for several years. This week, truckers got a little leeway.

Councilman Rick Johnson - also a trucker - drafted a revision to the truck parking ordinance per the Planning Commission's request.

Prior to discussion of the changes, several local truckers voiced their opinions and requests.

"All we're asking is, let us bring our trucks home," said Denny McClain. "Let us park them on our property. We're not allowed to park from 2 am to 6 a.m. on truck routes. How can I come home on my off-duty time?"

Mc-Clain said there's a federal law requiring truckers to rest and shut down for 10 hours.

"Put re-strictions on us," he recommended. "Keep us off the sidewalks, no more than 24 hours. We will abide by that. ... There's nowhere for us to go."

The existing ordinance states trucks are not allowed to be parked on city streets - even truck routes - between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

McClain said several businesses in town have allowed truck parking in their lots, but spots are limited.

"Enforce all the other parking issues," McClain said. "Enforce the fact you don't want anyone driving a loaded semi truck down the street. I've seen the food service truck break that law over and over. Give us the restrictions, but at least give us a place to go home."

Toby Pudwill, who lives on Cleveland Avenue agreed. He is employed as an emergency electrical technician with ITC Midwest, and has a crew truck licensed for 18,000 pounds. That's 300 pounds over the limit on the street he lives on, one block off the truck route. Since the police department doesn't have a weigh station, it uniformly goes by the licensed amount.

"I just want permission to drive it to my house and park it in my yard," he said.

Johnson said he spent a lot of time on the proposal, with committees and the council discussing parking issues for at least the past two years.

"I used a lot of the old ordinance terminology," he said. "I wrote new stuff for truck parking on truck routes with restrictions and made another category for residential streets."

The changes specify that all city-owned vehicles are allowed on any street, as well as all emergency vehicles as defined by state statute, and service or delivery vehicles for the sole purpose of delivering services or goods. The new ordinance states the council retains the power to administer temporary parking privileges or revoke privileges.

However, the new ordinance maintains that no vehicle exceeding 5 tons per axle may drive on residential streets, nor may any vehicle over 1 ton per axle park on residential streets. All semi-trailer trucks are prohibited from residential streets.

Additional restrictions stipulate trucks cannot block alleys or driveways, park within 75 feet of an intersection, park on a street for more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, have refrigerated units running within 150 feet of a residence, nor have an engine running for more than one hour.

"I wrote the language to deal with individual problems instead of making everyone suffer for what one or two people do," Johnson explained.

Both McClain and Pudwill welcomed the changes.

Police Chief Bob Toland was pleased with the ordinance change.

"This new ordinance did the one thing I really asked, and I think Rick did a good job of that," he said. "It treats everybody fairly. That was the biggest challenge for our police department, trying to sort that out. That should take care of the majority of the problem."

Councilman Chris Ziegler thought maybe the revision was too vague. Toland said it would bog the ordinance down to name every service or delivery vehicle allowed on residential streets. City Attorney Doug Johanson asked Toland if he was OK with the terminology.

"We've always been stuck with an ordinance that's been very difficult for the police department," Toland said. "We were making determinations of things we didn't want to do."