The Camp Verde Town Council unanimously denied Trampus and Bonnie Mansker’s application for an agritourism use permit for a roping arena and began a process to amend the town’s zoning code relating to animal count during their June 15 special session.
The session was a continuation from the June 7 regular meeting. The Manskers had applied for an agritourism use permit in order to increase their animal count for a private roping arena. The property is currently zoned residential-rural.
The Planning and Zoning Commission had previously recommended approval of the agritourism use permit by a 5-2 vote on April 13. At the public hearing at the June 7 council meeting, about 12 residents spoke in opposition to the permit while another 12 supported it.
The council decided that an agritourism use permit was not appropriate for the Manskers’ case, but also realized that there was no alternative option.
Councilwoman Jessie Murdock asked Trampus Mansker to clarify his intent in requesting the permit and whether it would be for private and personal use rather than tourism. Mansker replied he intends to use his arena as a recreational facility and is not running a business.
“We only moved to this town because of this Western heritage,” Mansker said, discussing how he wanted to be able to give his children an opportunity to do activities like roping on a daily basis and learning responsibility and solid work.
He added that he planned to have no more than 25 permanent animals on his property at any given time.
Councilwoman Robin Godwin asked Mansker why he doesn’t use the town arena, to which Mansker replied that there are no cattle there and he would need to transport them, which is very expensive.
Mayor Dee Jenkins argued that Mansker’s desired use did not fit the criteria for the agritourism permit. She pointed out that the permit was designed to help businesses operate in residential areas, and Mansker is not running a business.
Jenkins also claimed that staff’s original recommendation that Mansker should apply for the permit was not correct and that it should not have taken two years to get this far in the process. While she thought what the Manskers are doing is noble and that they have to find a way to make what they are doing fit with the town, she said that the agritourism permit was not the appropriate route.
Councilwoman Jackie Baker said she believed that the matter was approached in the wrong manner from the beginning, and Murdock agreed that the agritourism permit was not the right fit for Mansker’s operation. She added that she wanted the council to review the permitted animal count in the town code in the future.
Vice Mayor Marie Moore also concurred that an agritourism permit would be inappropriate for the Manskers’ situation. Since Mansker has a lot of support from community members, Moore said, she didn’t want to stop what he is doing. She also said that she does not want to set a precedent that everyone with an arena on their property has to pay $1,950 for a permit, and thinks that the Manskers should receive a refund.
Jenkins asked town staff what a reasonable amount of time to do a code change would be; staff claimed that it could take six to nine months. Moore said that she did not want to make the Manskers wait that long.
Amending the zoning code requires citizen review, followed by review by the Planning and Zoning commission before it can be brought before council.
Councilwoman Cris McPhail made a motion to deny the use permit and direct staff to initiate a text amendment to the zoning code to address animal count and accessory uses and refund the applicant’s agritourism use permit fees. The motion passed unanimously.
