Sheldon discusses recreational vehicle law

The Sheldon board of aldermen was addressed by Robert Bogart who has purchased property in the city with the intentions of living in Sheldon part time in a travel trailer. Current city ordinance prohibits living in travel trailers inside city limits for extended periods of time.

“More and more you’re seeing a lot of full-time RV’ers that want to park their trailers in one spot for a while and then pick up and go south in the wintertime …” Bogart said.

Bogart explained this trend has extended beyond recreational vehicle parks to private lots such as the one he has purchased. He has poured a concrete pad for the trailer to sit on and intends to build a cover for the pad and trailer.

Bogart requested a waiver from the city in order to prevent future boards from having an issue with his trailer and property.

“The whole corner is neat,” Alderman Gene Leininger said referring to Bogart’s property.

Leininger said the city needed the ability within such an ordinance to protect property values by limiting people’s ability to bring dilapidated trailers into the city. He said there were several older trailers in the city that should have never been allowed to be moved into the city.

In regards to trailers in the city, Mayor Robert Sewell said, “The goal is to get them to be in compliance and have them look pleasing but yet not to where they end up in jail because they can’t afford the fine.”

Sewell said Bogart’s property looked great.

The board voted unanimously to grant a waiver to the Bogarts until a revised ordinance could be passed.

The board accepted former alderman Robert Moran’s offer to write an update to the ordinance regarding mobile homes and recreational trailers. Several issues exist with the current ordinance such as a $500 per day fine if a trailer is not skirted.

“That may not be what you alderman want to assess against a person,” Moran said.

Alderman Gene Leininger suggested tiny homes be addressed in any revision to the ordinance.

Any updates to the ordinance will need to be posted and passed on first and second reading by the board.

• Two motors have been ordered for the pumps at the lagoon. A third has been installed on the pump but the wiring has not yet been completed.

• In a discussion of the park board report, Beverly Dockery said there have been no problems with the park bathrooms but the lights were not working.

• Review of the nuisance ordinance was tabled until the next meeting.

• The board briefly discussed repaving Main Street.

Sewell said the city recently received a bid of approximately $100,000 to pave a two-inch overlay on Main Street from First Street to the railroad tracks.

A previous bid of $67,000 was discussed as possibly only consisting of grinding the surface smooth and then sealing the asphalt.

• The city voted to approve a bid from Missouri Rural Services Corporation with Renwick Insurance Agency as the agent for the city’s liability insurance.

Renwick is also the agent for the city of Bronaugh and Vernon County.

• With the city’s truck out of service, several contractors have been providing trash pick up service in Sheldon — albeit at a higher cost.

The city’s trash truck has been towed to Butler for repair.

Sewell said the truck needs a new battery and fluid change before the mechanic can determine what the problem is and said servicing the trash truck may fix the issue.

• The meeting adjourned with no closed session.