CROTHERSVILLE — An ordinance regarding use of recreational vehicles in town limits is now in effect in Crothersville.
The town council passed the first reading on a 4-0 vote with Councilwoman Jerilyn Masters absent on Dec. 5 and unanimously approved the second reading on a 5-0 vote on Jan. 2.
Recreational vehicle includes RVs, campers, travel trailers and any other towable trailer or vehicle used for recreational purposes.
The ordinance states storage or parking of recreational vehicles is subject to the following conditions:
-At no time may anyone occupy or use a parked or stored RV for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes.
-A property owner may allow an RV to park on his or her property for up to 15 consecutive days but not exceed 30 total days in a calendar year to allow a visit by the RV’s occupant. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis with permission from the town council.
-An RV shall not block a sidewalk or be used for personal storage.
-No permanent structure may be erected or used on any parcel for use with the occupancy of an RV, such as porches or storage sheds or any other structure based around the RV.
Anyone in violation of the ordinance will have 24 hours to remove the RV upon notification. Failure to do so will subject the owner to fines and penalties.
A fine could range from a minimum of $50 per day to the statutory maximum of $2,500 per day. That also may apply to the property owner if they are permitting storage or parking in violation of the ordinance.
Penalties may include towing of the offending RV. Fines shall still accrue after being towed and while in possession of the town or towing entity until collected by the owner or other authorized party.
Clerk-Treasurer Danieta Foster was asked how many RVs currently are in violation, and she said at least five.
“We’re not saying that people can’t have a camper parked at their house,” Councilman Jamy Greathouse said. “It’s that they can’t have a camper parked at their house and have people live in it for more than 15 consecutive days or a total of 30 calendar days of the year unless they come to the town council.”
Some exceptions include temporarily living in an RV due to a house fire, a remodel or a water leak or family visiting from out of town.
“It’s not that you can’t have one. It’s the usage of it while it’s parked there,” Greathouse said. “What this is trying to eliminate is the unknown use.”
During the second reading of the ordinance, town resident NaLona Bush asked why it was being established. Foster said people have called the town hall with complaints about people living in campers.
Bush then asked if they are hooked up to the town’s water and sewer, and she was told most of the time, they are hooked up to a home’s water source.
“The basis for what we did here was to deter the situations we have in town currently from going further than where they currently are and illegally hooking to water and sewer. We were trying to keep a bigger problem from happening down the road,” Councilman Jason Hillenburg said.
“Those people are infringing on everybody else because they are exorbing the same usage of the town without property tax, without paying the bills, without doing any of these other things to contribute to what everybody else is paying in,” Greathouse said. “We can’t have campers in yards that people are using as a permanent residence and paying the homeowner X dollars a month for the utility bumps. That doesn’t help anybody in the community, either.”
If that’s why the town created the ordinance, Bush said she sees the point.
“Then you’ve got a right to say something because you’ve got to have that water and sewer money, but you’re getting it because apparently, that person’s water and sewer bill is going to go high for the extra usage,” she said.
Greathouse said the ordinance and its exception clause also are important for safety reasons if police officers or firefighters have to respond to an incident involving the RV.
“If we have that exception, if we have that knowledge, that information, we know someone’s there, it’s not just an empty camper sitting in somebody’s side yard … then (first responders would) be able to provide those public services for those people, as well, for those case-by-case situations,” he said.