RV street parking ban up for vote

Ef fective Jan. 1, Longmont would generally prohibit recreational vehicles, camper coaches, camper trailers and motor homes from parking on city streets, in alleys, on trailheads and in other public rights of way or on publicly owned parking lots, under an ordinance up for an initial City Council vote Tuesday night.

The staff-drafted measure, which stems from months of previous council discussions about the nuisances, neighbors’ complaints, and health and safety concerns stemming

from people living out of such so-called “sleeper vehicles,” would be scheduled for a public hearing and final council action if it gets preliminar y approval Tuesday.

The ordinance would eliminate a provision in Longmont’s current city code that now allows sleeper vehicles to be parked on streets, as long as those vehicles are moved at least 600 feet ever y 48 hours.

The proposed ordinance would make it illegal to park, or publicly keep a vehicle in place on public “ways” within Longmont — including parks and trailheads as well as any por - tion of a highway, street or alley or other rights-of-way.

However, there would continue to be exceptions for people who purchase valid “sleeper vehicle permits” for themselves or their guests and visitors — city permits that allow short-term stays of up to seven days.

Another exception from the ban would be for sleeper vehicles in the process of actively being loaded or unloaded while parked on streets.

Council members tentatively decided during a study session earlier this month to delay implementation of such a sleeper-vehicle parking ban until Jan. 1 in order to give people living in their RVS and campers and parking them on Longmont streets — particularly people who are otherwise currently homeless — time to prepare for the prohibition and to work with the city and human ser vices agencies to tr y to find affordable conventional housing in the meantime.

Earlier this month, council members directed city staff to resume discussions with Boulder County staf f about the possible temporary short-term use of the Boulder County Fairgrounds as something of a “safe lot” for RVS and campers.

However, City Manager Harold Dominguez said in a Monday email that Boulder County has been busy with responding to wildfires, “so we have not had a chance to follow up on

conversations” about the fairgrounds.

Longmont’s proposed sleeper-vehicle parking ban is one of several ordinances up for council votes Tuesday.

City budget

Initial approval of two of the others would move the council closer to adoption of a $372.94 million city budget for 2021. That would represent a 5.4% increase from the $353.9 million spending package the council originally adopted in October 2019 for the current 2020 budget year.

Public hearings and final council votes on that pair of 2021 budget-adoption ordinances, one of which would approve the overall spending package for next year and the second of which would specify the initial fund-by-fund appropriations within that overall budget, are scheduled for Nov. 10.

Rental late fees

Council members on Tuesday also are scheduled to resume discussions about whether to proceed with enacting a temporar y local prohibition against landlords charging Covidthose 19 impacted Longmont tenants fees for being late on their rent payments.

On Oct. 13, council delayed an initial vote on that late-rental-fees measure until at least Oct. 27, in order to give city staff more time to reach out to landlords and tenants for their views on the possible impacts of such an ordinance and to see what might be forthcoming from the state on the late-fees issue.

On Oct. 15, Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order banning late fees for renters through the end of 2020.

Longmont’s council may determine Tuesday that the governor’s statewide executive order addresses council’s intent to prohibit the assessment of fees and penalties for late payments of rents by tenants affected by COVID-19 impacts, and not to proceed with voting on the proposed Longmont ordinance.

Or, council could cast a first-reading vote on initially approving the Longmont ordinance Tuesday and set a public hearing and second-reading final vote on that local rental-fee prohibition for Nov. 10.