Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Campground Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plain City staff proposes winter closure and 30‑day limit for campground; council signals support
Summary
Staff recommended closing the Plain City campground Nov. 1–Mar. 31, instituting a 30‑day maximum stay with a 14‑day mandatory absence and a December resident-priority reservation period. Council members generally signaled support and asked staff to return with rates for nonresidents.
Plain City staff presented a proposed 2026 campground policy that would close the campground each winter from Nov. 1 through March 31 and, beginning April 1, limit guests to a 30‑day maximum stay followed by a mandatory 14‑day absence.
"Beginning April 1 campers would be limited to a maximum stay of 30 days," said Miss Granger (speaker 4), the staff presenter, explaining the intent to reduce long‑term occupancy and allow time for site maintenance. She said the village has 56 RV sites and that implementation would require some manual monitoring by staff.
The proposal also includes a resident‑priority reservation window in December (verification to be done in person or by scanned proof) and options to keep a small number of sites (sites 6–10) available for walk‑ups, emergency placement or longer stays at council discretion. Council members discussed whether to retain two of those sites as emergency or overflow spots and generally supported holding resident rates for the coming year while adjusting nonresident pricing.
Public commenter Robert (speaker 5) urged retaining longer stays, saying extended visitors supply significant campground revenue: "This year, you're gonna do about 335,000, but you're only projected to be 150,000 next year with the loss of winter reservations and seasonal limit stays," he said. Council and staff acknowledged potential revenue impacts but emphasized balancing local resident access, maintenance needs and operational simplicity.
The council directed staff to return with proposed nonresident rates and language for an ordinance; staff indicated the change would be brought forward on a future agenda for formal adoption.
