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Commissioners pick commissioner-led rewrite of RV, blight enforcement after sheriff urges closer partnership
Summary
Franklin County commissioners directed Commissioner Ottice Amison to lead a staff working group to draft a unified code-enforcement ordinance that includes stricter RV/camper rules and dangerous-structure provisions, after sheriff’s deputies described public-safety and health hazards tied to RVs and sheds. The board asked the draft to be circulated to the county attorney before a public workshop.
Chairman Ricky Jones and the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners agreed April 1 to ask Commissioner Ottice Amison to take the lead in drafting a combined code enforcement ordinance addressing dangerous structures and RV/camper encampments.
County Coordinator Michael Moron opened the discussion by summarizing a prior special-meeting directive to prioritize code enforcement. He said sheriff’s staff had asked for stronger RV enforcement and suggested the county consider a contract model with the sheriff’s department rather than creating a new county-funded position.
Sheriff’s Captain Hamm and Major Segree described routine field encounters where people were living in RVs and in backyard sheds without running water, power or sewer. They said those conditions had produced sanitation hazards (open waste, exposed refrigeration units), noise and nuisance complaints, and repeated drug-related activity and “people moving campers from property to property.” Major Segree said deputies have documented properties with vehicles, debris and other public-health risks and provided photographic evidence to building staff.
Commissioners Jessica Ward and Cheryl Sanders emphasized the difficulty of enforcement under the existing seven-to-fourteen-day RV rules and the “move an inch” loophole that can allow repeated short-term relocations. Ward said she favors waiting to finalize an ordinance until county staff and the software vendor finish a user-friendly, ADA-compliant front-end that will make permitting and enforcement transparent to residents and to code staff. Moron said the vendor is working on the county-facing software now and anticipated front-end readiness in 60–75 days.
Amison said he will convene boots-on-the-ground staff to draft a single ordinance that blends the prior dangerous-structure language with clearer RV rules. He recommended circulating a draft to all commissioners for comment, having the attorney review it, and then scheduling a workshop or public hearing; staff estimated a timeline measured in weeks rather than months. Several commissioners said they wanted cases currently under way to continue to receive legal and sheriff’s support while the ordinance work proceeds.
What’s next: Commissioner Amison will meet with county staff and sheriff representatives to prepare a consolidated draft RV and blighted-structures ordinance, circulate it to the board, and send the attorney’s review back for final refinement before a public workshop is scheduled.
Quote: “There are people living in sheds that do not have running water, do not have power, do not have sewer attached,” Captain Hamm said, describing sanitation and public-safety concerns.
Ending: The board made no immediate statutory changes; commissioners directed staff to prepare a draft ordinance and return with recommended language and timing for public review.
