Fines levied against a Vernon family for living on a farm in a fifth wheel contradicting city bylaws have been rescinded by council.

The city decided Monday that nearly $2,800 fines accumulated by Lee and Sondra Watkins will not be enforced in the wake of an earlier decision to allow secondary residents to live on property in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). It followed a long and high-profile battle between the couple and the city.

The Watkins went public with their battle with the city to keep staying in their RV on a four-acre family property in the Blue Jay subdivision back in October.

The couple had been talking with the city to extend their stay in the RV as long as possible, but started receiving fines from bylaw over the last several months.

鈥淲e wish to continue to fight this for many other properties and people in the same situation,鈥� the Watkins originally said in a that garnered more than 5,400 signatures since it was launched on Oct. 12.

The decision wasn鈥檛 without opposition.

Mayor Victor Cumming said rescinding the fines 鈥渄idn鈥檛 make any sense at all.鈥�

鈥淲e have bylaws in place. They (Watkins) knowingly did things that were not allowed and we asked bylaws to look into it,鈥� said Cumming. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make sense to change the bylaw and make it retroactive. This sets up a whole cycle of chaos.鈥�

Coun. Akbal Mund said the Watkins were a 鈥渟pecial case,鈥� especially after the city tried to change its bylaw a year ago.

鈥淲e tried to change it in December 2022. Had it been changed, it would have come into effect in March 2023 and there would have been no fines levied,鈥� said Mund, who agreed with Cumming鈥檚 argument.

The motion passed by a margin of 4-2.