COLORADO SPRINGS – It’s becoming one of the most frequent complaints to Colorado Springs police.
That’s according to Commander Sean Mandel, who told Colorado Springs City Council that residents are growing frustrated with recreational vehicle parking within city limits.
“[It’s] congesting traffic, creating hazardous waste, creating quality of life issues for people that work and people that live in those areas,” Mandel said.
Now, city leaders are looking to limit the rise of RV parking in Colorado Springs. City Council narrowly approved an ordinance on first vote Tuesday that will prevent RVs from parking on public streets, highways and alleys for periods of time longer than what’s needed for loading and unloading.
The ordinance was approved on a 4-3 vote. Councilors Yolanda Avila, Jill Gaebler and David Geislinger were the dissenting votes, while Bennett and Murray were absent.
Proponents said it’s a move that protects waterways from pollution.
“I am looking at the fact that this is a lot of effluent being dumped in there, and you’re not going to get around this by not telling them to move,” said Councilman Andy Pico.
But, evident in the vote, council members were split on the ordinance. Some called it the latest effort to kick out the less fortunate.
“We’re just going to have this continued whack-a-mole issue where certain populations are going to pop up. They’re going to be addressed, because the problem is there. They’re going to move to somewhere else,” Geislinger said. “We’re going to try to strike it down there. It’s a system that has not worked. I don’t see why it’s going to work here.”
They’re calling for alternative methods to help these people, as the city continues its work to address homelessness.
A second vote is needed to fully implement the ordinance. That vote will come next year, as Tuesday’s meeting was the last scheduled for 2018.
