Nobody would be forced to leave or move their older mobile homes if Butte-Silver Bow enacts new zoning restrictions on how old additional ones can be and where they can go, officials said Tuesday.
But Annette LeProwse, a single mother who works two jobs to get by, says she might not be able to afford a newer model if something happens to the 1967 mobile home she lives in now.
“It’s not like I’m trying to fight for these old trailers, but for some of us, that’s all we have,” LeProwse told county officials during a public forum to discuss possible changes to Butte’s mobile home ordinances.
Those could include prohibiting any additional mobile homes manufactured before 1976, or maybe even before 1994, from being located within any zoned areas of Silver Bow County.
Planning Department staff hasn’t formalized any recommendations, but options could include regulations on the age of mobile homes and zoning changes.
Tuesday’s forum, held in a conference room of the Star Lanes bowling alley on Harrison Avenue, was the first of four planned over the next week to inform residents of current ordinances and get public input.
“This is really to get public feedback on how people feel about it,” said Assistant Planning Director Lori Casey.