Union residents voted 354-209 during their annual town meeting on Tuesday to reject a proposed ban on the use of camper vehicles for permanent living.
Code Enforcement Officer Chris Packard had proposed the new limits after starting the job last year and noticing seven or eight people living in campers around town. Officials have said there are health and safety risks to living in the mobile structures.
But the measure faced backlash, with some residents describing it as overreach and expressing concern for unhoused people who live in campers since it’s the only shelter they can find.
“I understand the safety aspect, but if that’s the only place they have to go, if they can’t afford rent or a house, do you have a way of helping these people to find permanent housing?” resident Karen Poulin during a hearing on the measure earlier this spring.
Separate from the rules that were rejected on Tuesday, officials have also expressed interest in creating a registry of the existing campers in town.
Union voters also rejected a few other proposed ordinances during the town meeting.
They voted 295-257 to reject a proposed registry of short-term rentals; 297-209 against a requirement that newer homes be equipped with systems for making house keys available to firefighters in the event of an emergency; and 287-259 against new licensing standards for trucks selling food and other goods.
In the only contested race for local office, Timothy Wood won election to the RSU 40 school board for a three-year term against opponent Erik Amundsen. Wood received 333 votes, compared to Amundsen’s 257.
Adam Fuller and Wayne Kirkpatrick were elected, uncontested, to two- and three-year terms, respectively, on the Select Board.
