Council ordinance committee talks about parking trailers, RVs

The Havre City Council Ordinance Committee met Monday evening to discuss a pair of potential ordinances on trailer and recreational vehicle parking and curb cuts.

One of these proposed ordinances would require recreational vehicles like campers and motor homes, as well as trailers, to be parked on a surface prepared for it, like asphalt or concrete.

Committee member Andrew Brekke said this ordinance would keep people from parking excess vehicles on front lawns and too close to neighbors’ properties, which has become a fire hazard.

Brekke said even when vehicles, especially trailers, are being stored in a driveway, they are often still encroaching on sidewalks which is potentially dangerous, something this ordinance would also address.

He said it would also prohibit the street parking of trailers for more than 48 hours.

To prevent people from waiting 48 hours, driving around the block and parking in the same spot to start the timer over, trailer owners, under this new ordinance, would need to remove it from that space for 48 hours before it returns.

Another stipulation in the ordinance states that campers or RVs stored on residential properties may not be used for living in or sleeping in for more than five consecutive days.

Committee member Lindsey Ratliff said this particular part of the ordinance concerns her because for some people in Havre that’s all they have.

Brekke said it’s a violation of many codes including sanitation codes, and he doesn’t want the city to be promoting people living in these vehicles.

However, he said, it’s not like the police will be exhaustively searching out violators, but if someone living in that situation is becoming a nuisance to neighbors it does give them an opportunity to address the problem.

The second ordinance that was discussed was one replacing some outdated policies regarding requirements for curb cuts, when a curb is cut to connect a street to another roadway or driveway.

Brekke said with vehicles getting bigger and plans changing, Havre Public Works has told them that the current policies are outdated and requested that they be replaced.

He said Public Works suggested that the policies be changed to something like what Great Falls has, with a few technical changes regarding zoning which works slightly differently in Havre.

Brekke said Great Falls policies regarding curb cuts are very good and with a few adjustments they will probably work perfectly in Havre.

The committee voted unanimously to proceed with this ordinance.