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County staff to monitor DNR encampment on Couch River and rising transient sites; RV disposal funding limited
Summary
Public services reported an encampment on Department of Natural Resources land along the Couch River; DNR posted a 14‑day camping notice and the sheriff's office is leading response. Staff also described other transient camps and growing numbers of abandoned RVs; state funding for removal is cyclical and currently limited.
Mike Moss, public services director, updated commissioners on an encampment along the Couch River that staff said lies on Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land near the railroad tracks outside the city limits. Moss said DNR had posted notice under its camping policy and that, absent further action, the camp would need to vacate within the 14‑day window DNR enforces.
Moss said, “They posted the camp... DNR has a camping policy of up to 14 days. And after 14 days, you had to vacate.” He said the county’s sheriff’s office took a lead role on outreach and that the county expected the campers to leave within that notice period. Moss added staff uncertainty about whether campers can immediately return and restart a new 14‑day period; staff planned to clarify DNR policy.
Separately, commissioners raised a report of a transient camp on Houghton Creek (near Hotch Prairie) where a resident reported sanitation problems and a recent violent incident. Public Works staff said they would coordinate with the sheriff’s office and Deputy Harris, who assists county crews, to address safety and public‑health concerns.
Public Works staff also described a rise in abandoned or derelict RVs and boats left in rights‑of‑way. They said the county uses state funding to tow and dispose of such vehicles but the annual allocation is cyclical and often exhausted before year‑end. Staff noted third‑party vendors disassemble RVs at or near the Tenaway landfill and that the county is seeking stable disposal options.
