Council approves changes to mobile home ordinance

The Ravenna City Council approved the first reading of a mobile home ordinance that has caused much controversy in the city for several months.
A mobile home committee consisting of three council members and two citizens who are mobile home owners met last month to discuss changes to an existing ordinance.
Councilman James Richardson was in charge of the committee and presented the council with the revisions at its meeting Monday night.
The committee made revisions to the pre-existing ordinance to clarify regulations on a grandfather clause, transfer of ownership, renting mobile homes and providing permits for mobile home owners.
Richardson and the rest of the committee suggested to the councli making all mobile homes on record on the date the amended ordinance is passed legal.
These homeowners would be issued a new permit, thus ending any necessity for a grandfather clause in the ordinance.
The permits would be free for the first 30 days following notice of the amendment to the ordinance. After the 30 day window, a $25 fee would be added to the application for a new permit.
If a mobile home owners hasn’t obtained a new permit from the city within 120 days of notice of the amendment, the trailer is no longer deemed legal and will have to meet new standards in order to remain in the city.
A major concern brought to the council during discussions from concerned citizens was a part of the existing ordinance that prohibited renting mobile homes. The amendment suggested by the committee would allow mobile homes with permits to be rented by the landowner or property owner.
Anyone applying for a permit in the future must abide by the regulations laid out by the ordinance including rules that require mobile homes to be on land that measurs 50 feet by 100 feet, to be at least 10 feet from any adjoining property lines and at least 20 feet from the road.
The exemptions from the ordinance only apply to existing trailers.
Richardson said this means if it becomes necessary to replace a mobile home, the new home would no longer be exempt from the rules outlined.
Fire Chief David Harvey asked the council to consider the fairness of this aspect of the ordinance.
“If someone has a mobile home that’s been in the city for 30 years and it burns down, they have to replace it,” he said. “But, if they happen to live on a piece of land that doesn’t fit the regulations there’s nothing they can do with that land even though they’re been there for decades.”
Richardson said the citizens on the committee agreed to the revisions and didn’t take issue with the regulations placed on mobile homes in the city.
“The city is giving a lot on this,” he said. “I don’t know what else we can do about this.”
He asked the council to disregard the comments made by Harvey and to approve the recommendations from the committee.
The council approved the first reading of the ordinance and scheduled a second reading for Dec. 3.
In other business, the council approved the financial report, police report and fire report for the city.
The council also approved a $200 Christmas bonus for city employees and City Clerk Kim Parks reported selling several items in an auction earning the city $3,950.
Items sold included an exercise bike, tow cables and a golf cart, among others.