Soap Lake updates Smokiam fee schedule

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake City Council updated the fees for Smokiam Campground and allowed for future changes to be made by resolution instead of changing the city code. 

“You have an old fee scheduling chapter 1212, of your code. It's not consistent with these that are being charged or should be charged for the RV park,” City Attorney Julie Norton said. “What you're being asked to do is approve an ordinance to take those fees out of the code and adopt them separately by resolution. Now you don't have to change your code all the time, when you want to change the fees, you still have to approve them by resolution.”  

The first portion of the change passed unanimously, allowing fee changes to be changed by resolution.  

The second portion of the process was a resolution updating fees associated with Smokiam Campground.  

“You'll notice here it says camping without reservation, so $75 a night, or be removed from the park, one of two things. We have a lot of squatters,” Mayor Peter Sharp said. 

Sharp said the change will allow the city to remove people not paying for a reservation and for those people to be fined. It would also update the prices for campers, as the city's current code was outdated.  

With the passage of the new process, RV spaces with hook-ups from April 1 to Oct. 31 will pay $45 per day, $300 per week or $700 for a month. Tent spaces are $25 a night or $100 for a week. Showers, sewage dumps, filling water tanks or additional vehicles are an additional $10 charge.  

Council Member Susan Carson had concerns about the city allowing people to stay at the park for a monthly rate. She was worried that landlord-tenant protections would start for those staying longer than one month. 

However, City Attorney Julie Norton explained that landlord-tenant protections do not apply to RVs, which are transient vehicles by nature. 

The council then had a discussion around potential rules they would like to implement at the campgrounds, including setting limits on the number of consecutive days someone could stay at the grounds. There were also discussions about setting requirements for the age and quality of the camper.  

The city has expanded the campground to be a year-round facility. Public Works Director Eli Olson said there are seven spots that have sewer access throughout the winter.  

Norton explained that the council could add extra rules; however, that would not be included in the fee resolution, which is a separate issue. 

Council passed the updated fee schedule with a 5-1 vote. Council Member Andrew Arnold was excused, and Carson voted no on the matter.