The Panora City Council recently approved moving forward with getting rid of permanent camping at a local park. 

Mayor Pat Parker says the council approved the first reading to amend an ordinance to end camping at Water Works Park in Panora. Parker explains that because year round camping at the park is free, it’s caused some ongoing issues. 

“The concern that kind of came is so when we have people camping down there permanent, what are they using for facilities? Are they going to Casey’s (General Store), are they going over to the county parks, which again, I mean, if you’re using the county site, you should be paying taxes on the countryside, that’s what it’s providing for the campers over there, or are they just going out behind the tree? And so we have some citizens concerned about that.”

Parker says other concerns included using proper heat in the winter or the park turning into a homeless camp. Parker describes a possible consequence for permanently closing camping at the park. 

“Probably the only spot in the county, if somebody had some issues with finances, where they could go for a night or two. And so by doing away with this, where what options are those individuals in the county? And there probably aren’t any. ”

The Council will approve the second and third readings of the ordinance at their next meeting in January.