A camper is set up Wednesday on Heath Street in Oakland. Town officials are considering ordinance language on how long RVs may be occupied in town. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

OAKLAND — Town officials are considering changes to proposed rules that would require temporary permits for people living in a camper or other recreational vehicle on certain properties in Oakland.

But even as they continued to hone the proposal, residents and town councilors raised concerns about people’s’ privacy and public health.

Oakland Town Manager Kelly Pinney-Michaud at the Town Office in 2023. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel file

The Oakland Town Council presented an amended version Wednesday of a proposed ordinance that requires people to get a temporary occupancy permit from the town if they live in a vehicle or camper. Officials say they want to regulate long-term occupancy of RVs and campers, while at the same time not to kicking people out who have no other place to live.

Under the proposed rules, a permit would be needed if a recreational vehicle is on a property without a dwelling unit on it and the vehicle will be occupied for more than 30 cumulative days between April 1 and Oct. 1.

Town Manager Kelly Pinney-Michaud said the purpose of developing an ordinance is to protect the health and safety of town residents, including those living in the vehicles, and make sure sewage is properly disposed. She said the town has received complaints of people dumping sewage into catch basins.

“That’s a problem,” she said.

The temporary permit must include the dates the vehicle will be occupied and the address where it will be parked, according to the proposal. Prior to the town’s issuing the permit, an applicant must submit proof of a pumping agreement with a septic company or such records must be kept on-site and available to the town’s code enforcement officer if the site does not have a septic system in accordance with state rules, the proposal reads.

If someone wants a permit for a vehicle in place for more than 60 cumulative days, they must submit a written sewage disposal plan. If disposal is off-site, written authorization from the receiving facility or landowner is required, according to the proposed ordinance.

If a vehicle is placed at a site for longer than April 1 to Oct. 1, all requirements for residential structures must be met, including the installation of a wastewater disposal system.

Code Enforcement Officer Nathan Smart said at an Aug. 21 council meeting that he estimates there are between 12 and 30 recreational vehicles, campers and trailers in town where people appear to be living long-term.

He said Wednesday that towns with 4,000 people or more are held to a different standard regarding dwellings than smaller towns, and they must follow certain regulations. He said Oakland is not trying to make people become homeless.

But resident Bradley Webb said the proposal is too restrictive, particularly because it requires people to identify specific dates they will stay in the vehicles.

Resident Kelly Roderick, who is also a member of the town’s budget committee, asked if the town had visited any of the recreational vehicles or campers in question, spoken to people living in them and assessed what needs to be done to make them safe. She said the residents should be informed about what is going on.

Smart said he had not visited any sites.

Resident Joan Fisher said there are two recreational vehicles on her street, parked on other people’s properties.

“We don’t know where their septic is going,” she said. “We don’t know if they’re seeping into our well.”

Paula Smedberg said she lives in a recreational vehicle and when she and Darrell Wright Sr. moved in, she notified the town and hooked up to sewer and water. She said that when two unidentified men came by and took photographs of the vehicle, she became afraid and has not felt safe since then.

“How did I know they were not ‘casing’ the place?” she said.

Wright said they have tried to secure a place to rent but it is hard to find one that is affordable.

Council Chairman Mike Perkins said he did not want to vote on the proposal Wednesday. He said he wanted officials to work on it more and that Roderick had made a good point about having officials visit people living in the recreational vehicles or campers. Perkins also said he feels that asking how long people are going to stay in a recreational vehicle is invasive, and they should be treated with respect and dignity.

Councilor Robert Nutting said he wanted to learn more about the state rules, which Smart had discussed, concerning towns with more than 4,000 people.