Wynne ordinance on mobile homes

WYNNE, Ark. (KAIT) - An mobile homes ordinance passed on May 9, causing a stir for some residents.

Wally Vance’s father lost his home in the March 31 tornado. Since then, he has been living with his son.

Vance found a 20-year-old trailer for his father, but that trailer became a problem in Wynne.

“The very next night, the city passes an ordinance at a special meeting. They voted three times in one night to not let any trailer come in that is five years or older,” he said.

The ordinance specified that “mobile homes shall not be installed within R-3 zoning areas in the city limits of Wynne, Arkansas, unless they are five years or newer.”

It also said mobile homes must bear on a permanent, continuous cast-in-place concrete footing.

Vance says there could have been a better solution.

“It’s just too much of a burden on people,” Vance said. “I understand you don’t want a house beside a $300,000 house, but no one is going to put a trailer up beside a $300,000 house. I just don’t think it’s fair; they could have put a little bit more thought into it and done it like a trailer-by-trailer situation.”

Wynne Mayor Jennifer Hobbs refused to talk to K8 News about this topic off camera but did discuss other topics, like how the city is working on either amending or repealing the ordinance, saying the ordinance was currently not in line with state legislation.

Despite all the trouble the ordinance caused, Vance stays optimistic.

“It’d be great if they do repeal it, you know, but I mean, a lot of people are going through a lot of hardship waiting for this to happen when it never should have happened to start with,” he said.

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