County targeting illegally parked RVs
Dilapidated, broken down and trash strewn RVs and motorhomes are not an uncommon sight in Nye County, particularly in the Pahrump Valley, but not all are owned by an area property owner. Some of these are illegally occupying someone else’s land and now, Nye County has set aside $35,000 for a new project aimed at having such mobile trailers and RVs removed.
“These RVs and trailers are placed illegally on land that they do not own, nor have permission to be on, and these RVs and trailers often become a makeshift home for people with no legal right to be there, often accompanied by crime, stolen shopping carts and drug activity,” Nye County Commissioner Ian Bayne stated during the board’s Oct. 21 meeting, where he first introduced an item to fund their removal. “Bottom line is this; these are illegal RVs - these are not RVs or trailers on land with permission to be there and this funding will only go toward removing RVs and trailers that are illegally on the property of another.”
Bayne was requesting $35,000 be allocated for the project but at the time, Nye County District Attorney Brian Kunzi had expressed concerns about the enforcement aspect of the project. Therefore, the item was delayed until this week’s commission meeting, where it ultimately met with approval.
“I agreed to be part of this, to co-sponsor this with commissioner Bayne, to clean up Pahrump and the rest of Nye County when these situations come before us,” commissioner Bruce Jabbour stated on Tuesday, Nov. 18. “We’re anxious to know if this is a possibility.”
The project hinged on identifying a funding source for the $35,000. Bayne and Jabbour were proposing that the cost be split, with 75% coming from town of Pahrump funds and the rest from Nye County funds, a proposal commissioner Debra Strickland said she was on board with. However, Nye County Manager Brett Waggoner interjected that using town of Pahrump funding might pose a problem.
“One of the issues I see with using town of Pahrump funds with this is, you’re enforcing a Nye County code,” Waggoner explained.
Another possibility was the county’s remaining Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) grant. The majority of the $12 million grant has already been earmarked but there was about $1.77 million remaining. Jabbour inquired whether that funding was a viable source and acting Nye County Comptroller Stephani Elliott confirmed that LATCF dollars can be used for that purpose.
However, she emphasized that if the board were to decide to move forward, more specifics on how the funds would be utilized would be needed.
“Are we to pay labor costs for the sheriff’s office? Is it just for the towing of the vehicle? Is it for the impound?” she detailed.
Bayne made an initial motion to approve the funding for the RV and motorhome removals, contingent upon identifying a funding source. Further discussion ensued and Bayne then changed his motion to approve, with the funding to come out of the LATCF dollars. Jabbour offered a second and the motion passed 4-1, Koenig the sole voice against.
As detailed in the agenda item, the funding will be used for, “…the specific purpose of towing/impounding or otherwise removing RVs or campers or trailers or other vehicles illegally parked on the land of another without authorization by owner of the land. This will only authorize funding and will only authorize the removal of RVs/trailers on the land of another, with express permission from the owner on the land… All proper/legal paperwork will be followed during that process.”
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
