It isn't just the KOA owner in Billings who has a very low opinion of RV owners. The following is copied frome the minutes of the Billings City Council minutes of August 15, 2005. The Yellowstone River Campground is one of the Good Sam parks in Billings. QUOTE City Council Work Session August 15, 2005 5:30 PM Community Center • JUDY BARNES, YELLOWSTONE RIVER CAMPGROUND, asked the Council to keep the RV ordinance in place for several reasons: 1) to collect the bed tax used to benefit buildings, rest stops, and tourism 2) the voluminous numbers of RVers using the West End Wal-Mart parking lot 3) campgrounds generate most business during the summer months of the year 4) many of the people writing to complain are “escapees” from Livingston, TX who are fulltime RVers with no fixed address who live free in RVs. These people drain their tanks into storm drains and along roadways and dump their trash in other peoples receptacles 5) local campgrounds send campers to other tourist facilities that bring dollar into the community She asked the Council to look at the big picture and keep the ordinance in place. • CAROL LINDE, BILLINGS KOA, said the KOA, Eastwood Estate, Trailer Village and Yellowstone River Campground all advertise. She said they are outraged by the Gazette’s editorial regarding the RV matter. She noted that the campground owners were never contacted for their viewpoint. She submitted a letter outlining her views, objecting to the “boondocking” practice of the freeloading RVers that use public services without paying for the benefit. She noted the bed tax that is a portion of the campground fees that goes directly to the state general fund and for the legislators to spend as they wish. Ms. Linde said Montana is lagging in tourism promotion compared with other states. She also noted that the campground’s profits are kept and spent locally. She asked if Billings wants “freeloaders” in their City, as most of the letter writers are from out-of-state. She asked the Council to continue to enforce the RV ordinance. You can verify this at Billings Council Minutes site. If you would like to contact the Billings mayor or city council, visit the site for Billings City Government.
I'm not an "Escapee", but live full time in the RV, and to date, (I don't know about the rest of you) I have never lived "free" in my RV. I pay my payments to the bank just like a mortgage, I have to pay for the outrageous fees for fuel, I pay over 100.00 a month for insurance/liability. So with a lot of money going out, none of this is considered "free". Also, I'd rather pay that money if I was traveling through for a motel than give any patronage to those greedy campground owners in Billings.
