Resident urges council to delay trailer-parking ordinance; council agrees to clean up draft

During the citizen-comment period at the April 3 meeting, resident Tim McCloskey urged the Centerville Town Council to delay a vote on ordinance O1-2025, which revises rules on parking trailers and similar vehicles. McCloskey told the council the updated draft did not reflect the changes the public and council discussed during the prior meeting and said the revision could unintentionally penalize homeowners living in subdivisions with homeowners' associations (HOAs).

"Don't pass an ordinance based on this false information," McCloskey told council members. He asked the council to "push tonight's consideration off until you get the facts straight, until you allow the public to see a copy of the ordinance, including all the language mentioned during your last meeting, and hold your debate in public."

Council members responded that the most recent draft needed additional cleanup before further action. Council President Ashley H. Kiser said she had not participated in any off-record discussions since the last meeting and recommended revisiting the ordinance at a future meeting. "I think we should not move on what we have presented here tonight. We need to do some additional cleanup based on what we had spoken about at our last meeting," Kiser said.

Later in the meeting the council formally discussed Ordinance 1-20-25 again. Council members agreed to table the item for further revision and to work with the town attorney on a transparent approach that starts with the version presented at the public hearing and then addresses amendments individually. A council member confirmed the item will be revisited at the April 17 meeting and can be tabled for up to 60 days for additional edits and public clarity.

The central concerns raised by McCloskey and others during previous comments include whether HOA rules apply to town-owned streets, whether attached boat trailers should be allowed on town streets seasonally, and removal of a concealment requirement (fencing or landscaping). McCloskey said the HOA restrictions apply only to privately owned property and warned that the revised ordinance as drafted could force homeowners to pay private storage fees.

What happens next: The council directed staff to prepare a cleaned-up draft that reflects the prior public discussion, to post the revised text for public review and to continue the matter at a future meeting. No formal ordinance vote was taken on April 3.