The Baileyton Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday night to send an ordinance involving campgrounds and RV parks back to the town’s Planning Commission after a public hearing on the ordinance.
The ordinance had previously been approved by the board on first reading in early January, but was sent back to the Planning Commission for adjustments after a second reading and public hearing on Monday.
The purpose of the new ordinance is to modernize the town’s campground ordinance according to town officials. The ordinance is meant to serve as a base to at some point address people living permanently in campgrounds in Baileyton. Baileyton Mayor Jamie Tilson said he wanted the town’s population counted accurately because the distribution of sales tax and fuel tax dollars the town receives from the state is based on population.
The ordinance does not address permanent residence in campgrounds, but defines several terms. The ordinance considered Monday would have delineated that a short-term campground is a site where campers stay for no more than seven nights, while a long-term campground would allow stays of eight nights or more.
Karen and Robert Clouser, who operate the KOA Campground in Baileyton, expressed concerns about the differentiation between short-term and long-term camping. The couple said that several campers stay for two weeks during a vacation. As a result the Baileyton board said they would look to change the ordinance to reflect that a longterm camper would be defined as staying over 30 days. The Clousers also noted that traveling workers sometimes stay in campgrounds for months at a time, but are not permanent residents of the campground. The board said they would consider placing an exception in the ordinance for traveling contract workers during the town’s March Planning Commission meeting.
The ordinance would stipulate that campgrounds would be permitted in R-2 zones or higher, and that new campgrounds will be required to submit a site plan to the Baileyton Planning Commission and comply with state and local regulations. Existing campgrounds would be grandfathered in under the ordinance, and would not fall under the new ordinance unless expanding.
In addition, the ordinance would allow for property owners to camp on their own vacant property for up to 60 days in a continuous 12-month period, and up to 30 days in a six-month period on their own improved property, such as a property that includes a residence. Only one camping unit would be permitted, and a camping permit could be required in certain cases, such as large gatherings with more than one camping unit on a property.
Violation of provisions of the ordinance would result in a fine of no less than $2 but no more than $50. Each day a violation exists would be considered a separate violation.
In other business, Tilson said that the town had received a set of preliminary recommendations from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for improving safety at Exit 36 and Van Hill Road. The recommendations include adding stop signs, other signage, moving existing signage and adding road markings.
The town’s new police chief Bruce Halliburton informed the board that he would be a certified law enforcement officer in the state of Tennessee on February 25. Halliburton was hired in September 2025, and moved to Baileyton after serving as a police chief at a small town in Arkansas.
