Willard planners debate limits, billing and enforcement for long-term RV stays

Planning commissioners on May 1 opened a detailed review of proposed revisions to the RB Park ordinance — the city’s rule for RV and campground use — focusing on how long a person may occupy a stall, how the city should measure cumulative stays, and whether owners should be charged fees to offset impacts on sewer, roads and emergency services.

The discussion began after staff summarized prior council and commission work sessions. Several commissioners recalled a range of preferences: some favored no explicit length limit if occupants rotate every 90 days, others recommended a 12‑month cap with an option to extend to 18 months. Speaker 9 framed the core question: “Do we want to limit stays? If so, how long do we want to limit stays?”

Commissioners and members of the public raised three practical enforcement issues. First, how to prevent occupants from moving spaces to reset cumulative-day counts; commissioners agreed cumulative days should not reset when an occupant moves within the same park. Second, many parks use a single master water/sewer meter billed to the owner, which complicates per-occupant billing; staff said an impact‑fee study is planned and will provide formulas to apportion impacts. Third, commissioners discussed billing options that would be simpler to administer: require campgrounds to provide monthly rosters for city billing, or charge an upfront daily or monthly rate billed through the campground so the city does not need to enroll every individual resident.

The commission also debated fiscal fairness. Several members argued long-term occupants draw city resources without paying property tax. One commissioner urged fees that are “defensible,” noting state limits on what the city may charge; another proposed a per‑stall impact fee tied to an owner roster rather than attempting to bill each occupant directly. A recurring suggestion was to make future RV parks subject to per‑stall impact fees and per‑fixture assessments similar to how apartments are treated.

Public comments underscored the human side of the debate. Roxy Crouch, who gave her address at 680 North Main, told commissioners: “We have about 5 elementary students at 3 Mile Creek that live in that trailer park,” noting families and schoolchildren reside long‑term in the park.

Commissioners did not adopt a final ordinance at the May 1 meeting. Instead, they asked staff to draft resolution language and to research fee structures, connection/impact‑fee mechanics, and examples from other cities. Staff indicated the council — not the planning commission — would set any fee amounts, and promised to return with a draft resolution and supporting calculations.

Next steps: staff will prepare draft ordinance/resolution language and work with the city on an impact‑fee study and billing options. The commission indicated it will continue the RB Park discussion at a future meeting once that information is available.