Ordinance angers business owners

Many seats were filled with disgruntled visitors as Monday night's regular meeting of Moorcroft's council convened. While most of the trailer park owners within town limits were on hand, Heidi Humpal spoke to the governing body on their behalf regarding enforcement of the ordinance governing the responsibility of trailer park owners to pay investment fees for each of their rental units, regardless of occupancy.

Humpal began by requesting that the council revisit the ordinance governing this obligation and another that restricts the age of trailers set up in town.

"If I have one meter coming into my park, I pay for that one meter, the one water and sewer investment fee," she said.

"Each tenant can come Many seats were filled with disgruntled visitors as Monday night's regular meeting of Moorcroft's council convened. While most of the trailer park owners within town limits were on hand, Heidi Humpal spoke to the governing body on their behalf regarding enforcement of the ordinance governing the responsibility of trailer park owners to pay investment fees for each of their rental units, regardless of occupancy.

Humpal began by requesting that the council revisit the ordinance governing this obligation and another that restricts the age of trailers set up in town.

"If I have one meter coming into my park, I pay for that one meter, the one water and sewer investment fee," she said.

"Each tenant can come down [to town hall] and [pay for] their garbage and I’d be billed for my water usage. That is typically how it all happens, one meter going into a park or apartment complex.”

Censuring the council, she stated, “Can you explain to me how this is legally okay? This has gotten pretty out of control. You guys are…financially harming our livelihood; you’re doing damage to our businesses. You cannot legally do that.”

She said, “Every one of us is prepared to go further with this with a lawyer.”

Humpal refused to certify each month’s unit occupancy in her park, saying, “I’m not doing it without charging the town a fee. I don’t legally have to do that.”

Humpal’s repeated questioning of the legality of the town’s law allowing a charge for each residence owned by the parks or apartments led Town Attorney Patrick Carpenter to correct her assumption of wrongdoing by the town.

“The statutes allow the town to regulate all of that,” he said. “It’s within their authority to do that and that’s the way the code’s written right now. They didn’t make a change in the code; they’re simply enforcing what is already written.”

The trailer park owner then segued into the age restriction as another detriment to business, “I just had to turn down one for $12,000 – it’s a 1981 – because of the ordinance.”

Mayor Dick Claar advised the reason for said ordinance rests on safety as well as appearance, perspective alone not ensuring a true portrayal of beauty. “What you think looks good, I may not,” he said.

Claar admitted his concern regarding the enforcement of the investment fees in the manner dictated by ordinance, saying, “I’ve been very conflicted about this for the last two or three weeks. I know we’ve kicked this can around a lot, but I’d like to call a workshop to maybe discuss a commercial rate.”

He suggested, in the interest of time and the absence of two councilmen, a workshop involving both the entire council and the rental property owners to further discuss and find a solution to these issues.

Contingent on schedules, the workshop will be held on September 23.