Title
Hold a public hearing and consider an ordinance amending Chapter 18 of the City of Killeen Code of Ordinances by prohibiting the open storage of nuisance vehicles and updating the junk vehicle ordinance.
Body
DATE: December 2, 2025
TO: Kent Cagle, City Manager
FROM: Wallis Meshier, Exec. Dir. Of Dev. Serv.
SUBJECT: Ordinance Amending Chapter 18
BACKGROUND AND FINDINGS:
Effective January 1, 2025, the Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 548, was amended, removing vehicle safety inspections for most passenger vehicles. This allows vehicles to be registered without undergoing vehicle safety inspections. Thus, potentially allowing the registration of vehicles that may have been previously classified as Junk Vehicles.
The proposed amendments to Chapter 18 are intended to address the changes made to the Transportation Code and allow the City to now identify and address the open storage of nuisance vehicles and provide a penalty for doing so.
Staff is proposing the following amendments to Killeen Code of Ordinances, Chapter 18, Article V - Junk Vehicles:
• Changing the definition of a Junk Vehicle by removing language relating to the vehicle safety inspection.
• Adding a definition of a Nuisance Vehicle.
• Adding a definition of a Vehicle.
• Adding and declaring that the newly defined Nuisance Vehicles are detrimental to the safety and welfare of the public, tends to reduce the value of private property, invites vandalism, creates a fire hazard, is an attractive nuisance, creating a hazard to the health and safety of minors, produces urban blight adverse to the maintenance and continuing development of the city, and is a public nuisance
• Changing the abatement enforcement designee from the building official to the Executive Director of Development Services, or designee.
• Adding Nuisance Vehicles to the relocation regulations, ensuring that they remain as such regardless of their location in city limits.
THE ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED:
N/A
Which alternative is recommended? Why?
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CONFORMITY TO CITY POLICY:
This item conforms to State and Local policy.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
What is the amount of the revenue/expenditure in the current fiscal year? For future years?
N/A
Is this a one-time or recurring revenue/expenditure?
N/A
Is this revenue/expenditure budgeted?
N/A
If not, where will the money come from?
N/A
Is there a sufficient amount in the budgeted line-item for this revenue/expenditure?
N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff finds that the proposed amendments to Chapter 18 are necessary to effectively abate junk vehicles and identify and address the open storage of nuisance vehicles while protecting the public safety, health, convenience, comfort, prosperity, and general welfare of the City.
Therefore, staff recommends approval of the proposed ordinance amending Chapter 18 as presented.
DEPARTMENTAL CLEARANCES:
Code Enforcement and Legal staff have reviewed this item.
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
Ordinance
Presentation