Enforce Maximum 7-Day Camping Stay in City Park without Exception

**Updated to include facts from my visit to our city office on Oct 13.**

In April 2017, the Valley City Council opened parking pads in our city park for overnight camping. The maximum stay allowed is 7 days; however, the registration sign says a person can request a longer stay. Per the city clerk, she is the one tasked with determining what circumstances warrant a longer stay, which would be a difficult job at best.

Today, the city office informed me it does not keep registration slips from campers who stay in our park - only the deposit envelopes. Some of these deposit envelopes are filled out thoroughly with the camper’s name, address, "in and out" dates, and deposit amounts. Some are not. Some are missing the "out" date; some don't have the camper’s name; some don’t have the camper’s address. One had nothing but a dollar amount. Further, the city office could not provide registration slips or deposit envelopes for any campers who stayed during the months of May and June. There is a ledger listing the deposit amounts from May and June, with a deposit date, but no paper trail back to the actual campers themselves. It’s a bit unsettling to know we don’t keep a thorough record of those who camp in our park. Based on proof I could piece together from incomplete deposit envelopes and a one-page ledger detailing only deposit dates and amounts, there were 2 instances of campers staying in the city park for longer than 7 days. One person stayed for 9 days (name: Fuentes/dates crossed 2 deposit envelopes: 1 dated 7/23 – 7/28 with $50 noted and another dated 7/28 – 7-31 with $40 noted), and there is currently someone who has been temporarily living there since August 21…going on 8 weeks now. If the city clerk agreed to allow one person to stay for that length of time for any particular reason, how could she turn down 5 more with the same request? It’s a slippery slope, turning what was supposed to be for family visitors and Valley Days BBQ competitors into a cheap, temporary housing option for people working in the area. It’s not about who or why or how many have stayed longer than 7 days. It’s a matter that we allow exceptions at all. Camper pads in the city park are not meant to provide cheap living quarters for extended periods. Personally, I see this as introducing an unnecessary safety risk for the children who play in the park every day. There have been no issues yet. Will we be able to say the same thing a year from now? Five years from now?

If you agree that the maximum 7-day stay be enforced by our city, with no exceptions to that length of stay made for any reason, please sign my petition. Thank you!
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