Beatty backs Nye County ordinance change

The Beatty Town Advisory Board has come out in support of a proposal to amend the Nye County ordinance governing standards for manufactured homes.

At the board’s Nov. 19 meeting, town secretary Carrie Radomski explained to the audience that county needed to have its own ordinance to comply with state requirements. She also explained that the requirements do not apply to manufactured homes in mobile home parks—only to those installed on the owner’s land and converted to “real property.”

State standards for manufactured homes are quite stringent and detailed, but the law allows counties with populations below 45,000 to adopt less restrictive standards, and Nye County qualified for that exemption as of the last census.

One important area in which the proposed ordinance would provide more flexibility than the state standards is in the age of homes that can be installed. State law requires that the homes be manufactured no more than 6 years before they are installed, while the proposed county ordinance only requires that they be manufactured within 20 years of the installation date. The proposal also gives the local town board the option of approving installation of an older home if they wish.

Albert Verrilli, owner of Boulder Ridge Mobile Home Park in Beatty, sent an email the board in support of the ordinance changes.

“The Town Board should secure its ability to approve or to disapprove the relocation of mobile homes within the town borders, if they are more than 20 years old,” wrote Verrilli. He voiced concern that without an ordinance there could be an “influx of older sub-standard mobile homes” into the area.

The board drafted a letter to the county in support of the proposed amendments, saying, in part, “The Beatty Town Advisory Board and the residents of Beatty appreciate the steps…taken to comply with the spirit of the Nevada Revised Statutes while considering and addressing the need for affordable housing and reasonable standards in Beatty and throughout rural Nye County.”

Board member Erika Gerling praised Commissioner Donna Cox for pushing for the ordinance changes to give county residents more flexibility and control in this matter.

Richard Stephens is a freelance reporter living in Beatty.