JP withdraws RV parks proposal
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/66506/
Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison on Monday withdrew the proposed ordinance to regulate RV parks and campgrounds that she brought to the Washington County Services Committee last month.
Committee members last month decided that the proposal needed more legal research and that some of its provisions might be too stringent. They tabled the matter and directed County Attorney George Butler to look further into rules and regulations concerning RV parks and campgrounds.
Harbison, who represents southern portions of the county, had brought up the proposal at the request of a neighbor of Larry Ashworth’s RV park on East Wallin Road, about a mile south of Greenland. The neighbor, Teresa Smith, voiced concerns about noise and rowdiness at the RV park, which is adjacent to her property, during Bikes, Blues & BBQ in the fall and at other times during the year.
Butler researched proposed regulations and on Monday had a revised draft ordinance for JPs to review.
Among other things, the revision eliminated language requiring people at RV parks and campgrounds to restrain pets because there is no leash law in the county, Butler said.
The revision also changed prior language requiring RV park or campground owners or operators to enforce posted rules. The change Butler made required them to post the rules in a conspicuous place; failing to do so would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $ 250 per day.
Another revision called for a misdemeanor charged against occupants at the parks or campgrounds who fail to observe rules, punishable by the same fine amount.
“ I’m not going to vote for this, ” JP Micah Neal said, adding he does not think the county needs to regulate RV parks.
Harbison said, “ All the rules I’ve seen so far have been reasonable. ”
But then she said she had second thoughts about the ordinance and that RV park people she has talked to already have reasonable rules and regulations in place.
JP Ken Kieklak noted that county officials had checked with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and found that there was no record of complaints from Smith about the park.