Two-week RV limit will be enforced

The number of people living in RVs on the city streets and on private property around town appears to be rising, according to Mayor Paul Brooks.

Community interest in the matter is also increasing, he said at last week’s council meeting.

“It’s becoming kind of a thing around here,” Brooks said, claiming that the city seemed to have gained three new RVs within the last week.

Brooks reminded the audience – which included several Sundance residents who had attended the meeting to hear discussion of the RV problem – that the city intends to inform the people living in RVs that they need to vacate after the authorized two-week period.

At this time, he said, the city is in the process of accumulating the names of people believed to be living in RVs and then will likely send out letters.

He also clarified that city ordinances do not prevent guests from staying in an RV on their friend or family member’s property. The ordinance allows an RV on private property to remain occupied for up to two weeks, he said.

However, said Brooks, the city is now facing a situation in which people are parking RVs on city streets and running hoses and power cords across the sidewalk, creating a safety hazard. Also at issue is the disposal of gray and black water, and occupants using city services without paying for them.

While the mayor acknowledged that Sundance is in the midst of a housing crisis, especially with workers in town for road construction, he said, “We have a legit problem here.”

Conversations with audience members did reveal that, while RV living in city limits is a problem, there are extenuating circumstances the council does not have an issue with.

Ken and Jan Denzin, for example, are currently rebuilding their home and are temporarily living in a camper while the work is completed. They still use and pay for city utilities and attended the meeting to see if a variance is necessary.

This is not the kind of situation the city is concerned about, said Council Member Callie Hilty.

“It’s people who are living for free on city property,” she said.

Two of the three people who have ever actually asked the city for permission to live temporarily in an RV were in the audience that evening, said Brooks. The issue is that there are plenty of people who are doing so without ever advising the city.

“If everybody in the conversation had done the right thing, we wouldn’t be talking about it, would we?” he pointed out.

“We do have rules and we’re going to have to start enforcing them,” he added shortly afterwards.

Council Member Joe Wilson suggested a way forward for the council. After giving the matter some thought, he said, he believes that a person who wants to live in an RV in the city should be required to ask their neighbors first.

This policy is used when a resident wants to install a trailer house, he said.

Wilson clarified that he does not believe it should ever be ok for an occupied RV to be located on a city street. However, the city should institute a permit process that would require an RV one someone’s property to be hooked up to utilities and billed by the city, with documentation that they are properly disposing of gray and black water.

If a person is staying beyond the allowable two weeks, he said, there should be an extra fee. Permits should need to be renewed annually, allowing the neighbors an opportunity to weigh in.

This policy could be utilized in another RV-related situation described by realtor Jeremy Holt, who said he has had interest recently from buyers who specifically want to use land to boondock and maybe build a home on the property later.

In one such case, said Brooks, he knows of one neighbor who is “damned unhappy” about the idea, which supports the suggestion that the neighbors should be involved in the decision.

Another variant of the problem that could impact a permitting process was brought up by Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren. Some RVs are located on commercial property, she said, and in this case there may not be a neighbor within 300 feet who would care and there is a huge difference in the pricing structure for utilities.

In that case, said Brooks, the business owner should be required to follow Department of Environmental Quality rules and install an RV park.

Hilty summed up the three types of situation currently occurring: people living in RVs on the city streets; people living in RVs on properties where there is no house; and third parties living on properties with a home that is also occupied.

“The ones on the street there’s no question about,” she said.

Brooks said he also has a “real problem” with those, because these people are not paying the city anything while using its services.

Council Member Randy Stevenson said he would like to amend the ordinance to include an annual permit so that the city has information about the RV occupants and the reason for their stay, and so the city can enforce its ordinance.

However, said Brooks, the problem exists right now and the city still needs to resolve this and enforce its current ordinance now – not after three readings of a new ordinance.

A motion was made at the mayor’s request for him to review the list of current offenders once prepared and direct City Attorney Mark Hughes to send letters.

“Our intent is to regulate what’s going on here before we have a bona fide crisis,” said Brooks.

Then, said Brooks, the council can begin working on amending its ordinance to solve the issue in the long-term.

City rules for RVs

An RV may be occupied for no more than two continuous weeks “while visiting family or friends or while attending or participating in a locally sponsored meeting, event or activity”.

An RV not in use can be stored on its owner’s premises for any length of time, as long as it is set back at least six feet from the curb or projected curb line and has a state license and attached plates.

It it is not lawful for a person to keep or maintain an RV on a public street, on land that belongs to someone else or is public land without express permission.

An occupied RV must be self-contained and sanitary facilities as required by law must be provided on the lot or land.