Camper conflict and contention

"When two perfectly reasonable minds can come to two completely different conclusions, we have a problem."

This statement, made by town council member Will Faust, adequately summed up the workshop held on Jan. 30 at the Saratoga Town Hall between the town council and the planning commission. The workshop, organized by Faust, was intended to discuss the deficiencies of Title 18, specifically chapter 18.57, of the town municipal code. After 90 minutes of conflict and contention, however, the workshop concluded without a consensus.

Chapter 18.57, which covers the licensing and operation of mobile home parks, states it is illegal for any person to operate a mobile home park who does not possess a permit from the Wyoming Department of Health. The department of health, however, has not had authority over mobile home parks since 1991.

Furthermore, other sections of Title 18 have varying definitions of what constitutes a mobile home or a recreational vehicle (RV). The definition of RVs, found under 18.06, states that "recreational vehicles shall not be considered as a dwelling nor shall they be occupied as such." Chapter 18.06 also defines a mobile home park as "a parcel of land under single ownership ... consisting of two or more mobile home lots."

Under 18.54, which covers floodplain management, the definition of a manufactured home includes "park trailers, travel trailers, and other similar vehicles" which have been placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive days.

The planning commission had been aware of the inadequate and outdated language within the code and had fully planned on addressing it. A request for a special use permit from William "Bill" Schorer concerning an RV on one of his lots, however, brought the issue to the forefront. The planning commission, after much discussion, granted Schorer the permit for no longer than nine months during which time they set to rewrite Title 18.

Council member Steve Wilcoxson brought up Schorer's case repeatedly during the discussion. He asked Faust, who is the council's representative on the planning commission, and Jon Nelson, a member of the planning commission, why they granted the permit with such a limited timeframe. Faust and Nelson both explained to Wilcoxson that the purpose of the workshop was not to discuss Schorer's case.

"This meeting is not limited to any specific property or case," said Nelson, "We need to discuss and understand what this code says right now as it is written."

Wilcoxson would continue to bring up Schorer's case, however, as well as stating that previous incarnations of the town council and the planning commission hadn't seemed to be as concerned about the language of the code.

"What this whole discussion is about," Nelson said, "is we have to decide as a community, not just as a council and a planning commission, where in town the appropriate places are to live and stay in a mobile home, in a travel trailer or traditional house."

Unable to move Wilcoxson to a broader discussion about Title 18, Faust and Nelson announced they were concluding the workshop following public comment. Only 30 minutes had passed from the start of the workshop.

"My thoughts at this point are we take a stab at rewriting this and make recommendations to the council," said Faust.

Randy "R.G." Raymer, owner of R.G. Raymer Construction, was the first to stand up and address the council and the commission.

"It's painfully aware to, I think most folks, that there are RVs parked all over town and there are people living in them. Some out in the city right-of-way, some of them on private land and they're not in mobile home parks even though we have mobile home parks for them to be in," said Raymer.

Raymer lauded the workshop, adding that it was something that needed to be done but lamented the fact that no consensus had been reached.

"The zoning law does need to change. It has changed. Things change over time," continued Raymer, "It's far time we start addressing this and it's a painful effort."

Robert "Bob" Trasher addressed the workshop next. Referencing an unnamed citizen who "lives in an RV not because she wants to, but because she has to," Trasher brought up the lack of affordable housing in Saratoga.

Trasher and other members of the audience seemed to be under the assumption that the intent of the council and the planning commission was to displace people who were residing in RVs.

"We 'peasants' feel that you folks that live above the ditch are making the rules and you're squeezing us," said Richard Hodges.

Members of the council and the planning commission made an effort to inform those in attendance that there was no malice in their decision to rewrite Title 18.

"Nobody up here," said Chris Duke, a member of the planning commission, "has the intent to hurt anyone, to move anyone out, tell someone they can't live somewhere."

Sue Jones, a member of the Carbon County Commission, addressed the workshop as well. Jones suggested to the council and the planning commission that they research the ordinances other towns have concerning mobile homes and RVs, using the cities of Laramie and Pinedale as examples.

"It seems it's getting made quite complicated when it really isn't complicated at all," said Jones.

With the workshop drawing to a close, Faust and Nelson laid out what they would hope to see in the future for 18.57.

"We should have a clear process to be a mobile home park and the uses that are approved within a mobile home park," said Nelson.

"We need a clear and precise process that is repeatable," added Faust.

Before the workshop ended, Schorer had one last question.

"What are you going to do in the present?" asked Schorer.

"There's not much we can do," said Faust.