City passes ordinances on recreational vehicle parking on first reading

In addition to taking a number of public comments, Havre City Council passed ordinances on first reading regarding on- and off-street parking of trailers and recreational vehicles in the city.

The first ordinance prohibits trailers from being parked on city streets for more than 72 hours in any seven-day period.

City Council Member Andrew Brekke said the previous ordinance only specified that trailers can’t be parked on the street in the same spot for longer than 48 hours without being moved.

Brekke said this led to people just moving their trailers slightly forward to get around the requirement and ended up doing nothing to reduce the number of trailers on the street, which he said has become a potential safety issue.

Under this ordinance people would have to move their trailers after 72 hours and not bring them back for a week.

Council Member Derek Eldrich said he was concerned about this ordinance and its effect on contractors who work out of trailers, and for whom is it impractical to follow this ordinance.

Brekke said contractors can get special permits from either Havre Public Works or the Havre Police Department if they need to be somewhere for more than 72 hours.

He said this ordinance is not going to be used to give contractors trouble, but to reduce the sheer number of trailers parked on the streets, something communities around the state are dealing with in almost exactly the same way that is being proposed in Havre.

The council passed the ordinance on first reading unanimously. It will be on the agenda for the next regular City Council meeting for a second and final reading.

The second ordinance imposes some restrictions on where recreational vehicles such as motor homes, campers, snowmobiles and boats can be stored on people’s properties.

Brekke said the ordinance requires vehicles like this to be stored in people’s backyards, unless they are inaccessible, in which case side yards can be used.

It also specifies how far away the vehicles must be from houses, doors and windows, which Brekke said is a safety concern should those vehicles catch fire and potentially spread to other structures.

He said just last year a trailer caught fire and spread, one that would have been in violation of this ordinance had it been in place. Thankfully, he said no one was hurt in that fire, but it does demonstrate the need for this ordinance.

Brekke said the ordinance also mandates that the spot the vehicle is parked on be prepared with concrete, asphalt, gravel or something of that nature, as it’s not uncommon for vehicles parked on grass to facilitate rampant weed growth and provide a home for pests.

Brekke said it also prohibits people from living in the vehicles for more than five consecutive days, as it is unsafe and the city doesn’t want to encourage people living in them.

Ratliff said she had reservations about this ordinance due to how she thought it might affect people with difficult living situations, but last year’s fire changed her mind.

The ordinance drew criticism from councilors Josh Miller and Derek Eldrige, the former of whom called it an overreach, and the latter of whom expressed concerns about people visiting relatives and friends and using the vehicles for more than five days.

Brekke said these ordinances are complaint-based and more a tool to be used when someone is creating issues for their neighbors.

In a statement sent to the Havre Daily News late last night Miller said the ordinance opens the possibility of his constituents having to be forced to store their camper somewhere else at a cost to them.

“We don’t effectively enforce the parking ordinances we have now,” he said. “... Instead of creating an ordinance that’s ‘complaint-based’ and therefore reactive, why not be proactive with the ordinances we already have?”

He also objected to Brekke and Ratliff using the recent trailer fire as a justification for the ordinance, calling it an isolated incident and saying there were several other hazards involved.

Havre resident Dave Brewer also raised concerns, saying in the past similar ordinances had not been followed.

Brewer is Democratic candidate for the state Senate and will face the winner of the Republican primary between Sen. Russ Tempel of Chester and Steve Chvilicek of Havre.

The ordinance passed 5-2 with Miller and Eldrige voting against. Council Member Sarah McKinney was absent.

The council also delayed voting to approve the urban deer management program at the request of Havre Mayor Doug Kaercher who said he recently got a bunch of suggestions from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and he wants to get those in the draft plan before they vote on anything.

Kaercher said he’s been assured that if the plan is voted on at the July 5 council meeting, FWP will have enough time to approve or disapprove it in October.

In addition to these ordinances the council also heard from Cody Miles who complained about a recent rate increase at the city’s bulk water station.

Miles said the price jumping from 75 cents to $1 per hundred gallons of water was unreasonable, saying other cities charge much less.

Kaercher said Miles’ numbers from other cities were incorrect and what Havre charges is comparable to or lower than those cities.

Kaercher said the increase was to bring the price closer to what the people of Havre are paying for water, which he said is still higher by more than 20 percent.

He said the water from the station is offered to people outside the city at that price as a courtesy, something the city isn’t required to do at all, but does because agriculture producers and other people outside the city don’t really have many other viable options.

After some argument, Miles left the podium.

Former Havre Mayor Bob Rice also spoke, complaining about not being able to run against Kaercher in the last mayor’s election and implying there is a widespread effort in town to keep him from running.

Hill County reported in 2020 that Rice, who had changed his voter registration to Missoula at some point after he lost the 2013 election, had changed his voter registration back to Havre but not for long enough to qualify as a mayoral candidate under Montana law, which requires at least two years residency before election to office.

During the meeting Brewer had some statements of his own, saying he wants the council to start printing out minutes from previous meetings, but Kaercher said they are already published online.

Havre-Hill County Library Director Rachel Rawn said the library is happy to assist anyone if they have trouble accessing publicly available documents, so anyone interested should get in touch.

Brewer also asked where the city is regarding hiring a city manager.

Kaercher said Montana State University Local Government Center Director Dan Clark should be at this month’s town hall to talk about the potential benefits of hiring a city manager, and Great Falls City Manager Gregory Doyon will also speak in July and then the council will look at a resolution to put it on the ballot.