Washburn Council discusses possibility of ordinance amendment for travel trailers
October 23, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
At a meeting of the city council of Washburn on Tuesday, October 15, a Washburn citizen and his family appeared before the council to pursue an exemption from an ordinance that was recently enforced on his family.
Ben Scott, a Washburn resident, detailed his daily struggles with his wife, Laura. According to Ben, Laura suffers from dementia and schizophrenia so severe that it is often a risk for him to care for her himself. It is for this reason that Scott enlisted the aid of his grandson, Butterfield resident Chris Hess, to aid in her care. When his grandson helps care for her, Hess and his wife stay in a travel trailer on Scott’s property, which is technically against Washburn City ordinance.
“It would kill her to go to a nursing home,” said Scott. “We have a nurse that comes twice a week. I try to stay there as much as I can, but sometimes it gets so bad that I have to leave. They’ve suggested the nursing home and other things to her, but she’s very adamant about it. She wants to die right there in that old house.”
The retired Hess and his wife, Brandy, both claim to provide regular care to Scott when her needs becomes too much for her husband to tackle alone. According to Scott, his wife is also at great risk of both heart attack and stroke under the right conditions.
“She has a [conflict]with me sometimes,” explained Scott. “Sometimes she gets very upset with me and it’s best that I just leave. I’m afraid that she’ll have a stroke or a heart attack. That’s where Chris and his wife come in.”
In order to facilitate Laura Scott’s care without encroaching on her space, the Hess family regularly stays in a travel trailer that they own that sits on the Scott’s property near the Scott residence. According to Scott, the family has received a citation from the city for violating an ordinance regarding the types of structures that can be lived in within city limits.
Scott and his family appeared before the council to ask that an exemption to the ordinance be granted due to the extenuating circumstances of the situation.
“Where the trailer is, there used to be a mobile [home], and we still have all of the water and sewer hookups there,” Scott continued. “We don’t want to fraud the city out of money or taxes. We can hook it into city water and sewer. We just want to be able to leave that trailer there. Just to use, not all of the time, but some of the time.”
Hess and his wife were both present during the meeting to express their views on the matter.
“I’m here because they asked me to come and take care of her,” said Hess. “I have a house and six acres up in Butterfield, I don’t have to stay here.”
Hess went on to explain that he stays in the trailer to aid in his grandmother’s care anywhere from two to four days a week. He has also reportedly hooked the trailer into the city water and sewer hookups on the property and had a new meter installed on the site of the old mobile home. This was to allow the city to bill for utilities during Hess’ stay, as well as prevent the need for him to empty out his septic tank in the open air, something the Hess family says is a prime concern for the city.
“Grandma can get ornery,” said Brandy Hess. “Sometimes, we’re the only ones that can deal with her and get her to calm down. It’s not good for her to get that riled.
“I understand the position that you’re all in,” Brandy continued. “I can’t afford to buy a new house to put on the property.”
Jeremy Johnston, alderman-at-large for the city of Washburn, weighed in on his concerns with granting an exemption to the family.
“Right now, our biggest concern with people living in travel trailers in city limits is letting them do it would mean we would have to let everyone else do it,” explained Johnston. “It causes problems. We’ve had a lot of problems in the past, and that’s why we have an ordinance.”
Alternatives to the exemption were discussed between the council and the family. Alderman Cheryl Floyd suggested the idea of putting Laura Scott in an assisted care facility or moving her into the Hess household in Butterfield.
“Until it comes to the point that we can’t physically take care of her, I don’t feel right putting her through that,” responded Brandy.
According to Washburn mayor John Teideman, the ordinance would not affect the family if they were to remove the wheels and axle, as well as put it on a foundational box. The Hess family expressed an unwillingness to do so as they were still making payments on the trailer.
After some deliberation, alderman Johnston raised the possibility of amending the ordinance to grant special exemptions for medical care. Johnston then asked the rest of the council their opinions of the matter. Alderman Floyd was not entirely opposed to the idea but wanted care to be taken that such an amendment be made with an explicit time-line for removal of the excepted structure.
“My concern is, what happens at the end of the medical term?” asked alderman Cheryl Floyd. “It couldn’t be just an ordinance to allow it, it would also have to lay out a time-line for what happens when that situation ends.”
In the end, the council moved to table the discussion of the issue until the next city council meeting. In the meantime, the council will be reviewing the ordinance itself, as well as contacting city attorney Darlene Parrigon regarding making changes.
The next meeting of the Washburn City Council is on Tuesday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. For any questions regarding existing or potentially changing ordinances, contact Washburn City Hall at (417) 826-5242.
Vinnie Roberts
At a meeting of the city council of Washburn on Tuesday, October 15, a Washburn citizen and his family appeared before the council to pursue an exemption from an ordinance that was recently enforced on his family.
Ben Scott, a Washburn resident, detailed his daily struggles with his wife, Laura. According to Ben, Laura suffers from dementia and schizophrenia so severe that it is often a risk for him to care for her himself. It is for this reason that Scott enlisted the aid of his grandson, Butterfield resident Chris Hess, to aid in her care. When his grandson helps care for her, Hess and his wife stay in a travel trailer on Scott’s property, which is technically against Washburn City ordinance.
“It would kill her to go to a nursing home,” said Scott. “We have a nurse that comes twice a week. I try to stay there as much as I can, but sometimes it gets so bad that I have to leave. They’ve suggested the nursing home and other things to her, but she’s very adamant about it. She wants to die right there in that old house.”
The retired Hess and his wife, Brandy, both claim to provide regular care to Scott when her needs becomes too much for her husband to tackle alone. According to Scott, his wife is also at great risk of both heart attack and stroke under the right conditions.
“She has a [conflict]with me sometimes,” explained Scott. “Sometimes she gets very upset with me and it’s best that I just leave. I’m afraid that she’ll have a stroke or a heart attack. That’s where Chris and his wife come in.”
In order to facilitate Laura Scott’s care without encroaching on her space, the Hess family regularly stays in a travel trailer that they own that sits on the Scott’s property near the Scott residence. According to Scott, the family has received a citation from the city for violating an ordinance regarding the types of structures that can be lived in within city limits.
Scott and his family appeared before the council to ask that an exemption to the ordinance be granted due to the extenuating circumstances of the situation.
“Where the trailer is, there used to be a mobile [home], and we still have all of the water and sewer hookups there,” Scott continued. “We don’t want to fraud the city out of money or taxes. We can hook it into city water and sewer. We just want to be able to leave that trailer there. Just to use, not all of the time, but some of the time.”
Hess and his wife were both present during the meeting to express their views on the matter.
“I’m here because they asked me to come and take care of her,” said Hess. “I have a house and six acres up in Butterfield, I don’t have to stay here.”
Hess went on to explain that he stays in the trailer to aid in his grandmother’s care anywhere from two to four days a week. He has also reportedly hooked the trailer into the city water and sewer hookups on the property and had a new meter installed on the site of the old mobile home. This was to allow the city to bill for utilities during Hess’ stay, as well as prevent the need for him to empty out his septic tank in the open air, something the Hess family says is a prime concern for the city.
“Grandma can get ornery,” said Brandy Hess. “Sometimes, we’re the only ones that can deal with her and get her to calm down. It’s not good for her to get that riled.
“I understand the position that you’re all in,” Brandy continued. “I can’t afford to buy a new house to put on the property.”
Jeremy Johnston, alderman-at-large for the city of Washburn, weighed in on his concerns with granting an exemption to the family.
“Right now, our biggest concern with people living in travel trailers in city limits is letting them do it would mean we would have to let everyone else do it,” explained Johnston. “It causes problems. We’ve had a lot of problems in the past, and that’s why we have an ordinance.”
Alternatives to the exemption were discussed between the council and the family. Alderman Cheryl Floyd suggested the idea of putting Laura Scott in an assisted care facility or moving her into the Hess household in Butterfield.
“Until it comes to the point that we can’t physically take care of her, I don’t feel right putting her through that,” responded Brandy.
According to Washburn mayor John Teideman, the ordinance would not affect the family if they were to remove the wheels and axle, as well as put it on a foundational box. The Hess family expressed an unwillingness to do so as they were still making payments on the trailer.
After some deliberation, alderman Johnston raised the possibility of amending the ordinance to grant special exemptions for medical care. Johnston then asked the rest of the council their opinions of the matter. Alderman Floyd was not entirely opposed to the idea but wanted care to be taken that such an amendment be made with an explicit time-line for removal of the excepted structure.
“My concern is, what happens at the end of the medical term?” asked alderman Cheryl Floyd. “It couldn’t be just an ordinance to allow it, it would also have to lay out a time-line for what happens when that situation ends.”
In the end, the council moved to table the discussion of the issue until the next city council meeting. In the meantime, the council will be reviewing the ordinance itself, as well as contacting city attorney Darlene Parrigon regarding making changes.
The next meeting of the Washburn City Council is on Tuesday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. For any questions regarding existing or potentially changing ordinances, contact Washburn City Hall at (417) 826-5242.