Sponsor: Parks & Recreation
Title
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Revised Parks & Recreation Ordinance
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Recommendation
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Adopt the revised Parks & Recreation Ordinance
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Background and Rationale
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The Ramsey County Parks & Recreation Ordinance (Park Ordinance) was adopted in 1992 and last amended in 2007. The purpose is to promote the safety, health, enjoyment, and welfare of everyone in their use of parks, and to protect park property and resources. The Park Ordinance requires routine updating to stay current and align with community needs.
The ordinance revision process aims to:
• Respond to long-standing community feedback about park access.
• View the ordinance through a racial equity lens.
• Modernize the ordinance and address contemporary park issues.
• Make changes that result in an ordinance that is equitable, consistent, and streamlined; promotes greater enjoyment of the parks; ensures user safety; and protects park facilities, property, and natural resources for everyone to enjoy.
The following is a list of specific proposed changes to the Park Ordinance:
• Change park hours to 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and eliminated trail hours for those actively commuting.
• Smoking and vaping policies to be developed within the overall Ramsey County ordinance.
• Change misdemeanor penalties to administrative penalties. State preferred method of enforcement as request for voluntary compliance.
• Allow for removal of park access for 24 hours as a method of enforcement.
• Enforce “Firearms and Dangerous Weapons” and “Fireworks” sections using state statute. Adjust “firearms” section to comply with state and local laws.
• Eliminate “loitering” section.
• Modernize and simplify “disturbing the peace” section.
• Add protections from dumping liquids in the park or park waters.
• Distinguish between littering small amounts of waste and dumping large amounts of waste.
• Allow foraging of fruits, nuts and mushrooms.
• Point to Ramsey County website for aquatic invasive species removal process to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.
• Modernize rules for electric bikes and drones.
• Expand snowshoe access in parks.
• Reduce amplified sound from 50 to 25 feet for general park use and kept at 50 feet for events.
• Require a permit for amplified sound at events.
• Allow limited commercial photography without a permit.
• Allow 10x10 canopies for open-air picnic tables.
• Remove gendered swimwear requirements to allow public nudity state statutes to prevail.
• Update ski pass requirement to prepare for changes in pass types in alignment with Winter Recreation Area.
• Modernize “Roller-skating” language to fit many forms of skating.
• Add geocache placement rules.
• Allow service animals in facilities in alignment with ADA.
• Allow crossbows for adaptive use.
• Allow power-driven mobility devices for people with disabilities.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
A Phase 1 racial equity review process was completed in June of 2021 with community partners, including the Ramsey County Equity Action Circle, that identified specific opportunities within the ordinance to advance equity. Some of these priorities included writing the ordinance in plain language, expanding access to the parks, decriminalizing ordinance violations, allowing foraging, and restricting tobacco use. Parks continued to work with community partners to address these priorities in the proposed ordinance to advance racial equity.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Phase 2 community engagement focused on feedback from residents on the entire ordinance with special attention placed on three topics that needed detailed public input per guidance from the Phase 1 racial equity review process: Park access, smoking and tobacco use, and fines and penalties for violations.
Community engagement took place during the summer of 2021 and included the same content offered via community conversations and within an online survey. The community conversations had 45 participants and the online survey had 1,495 participants. Detailed results of the engagement can be found at <https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/parks-recreation/21st-century-parks-initiative/park-ordinance-project>
☐ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Payments of penalties for administrative citations will accrue to the county, but during 2019-2020 just over 40 citations were issued annually despite there being roughly 6 million annual visitors to the park’s system. It is expected that few citations will continue to be issued resulting in a minimal fiscal impact. Any future civil penalty revenue will be deposited into the Ramsey County general fund, violations account.
County Manager Comments
No additional comments.
Last Previous Action
On February 8, 2022, the Ramsey County Board waived the second reading of the revised park ordinances (Resolution B2022-045) and held a public hearing.
On January 18, 2022, the Ramsey County Board waived the first reading of proposed revised Park Ordinance (Resolution B2022-030) and set the public hearing for February 8, 2022 (Resolution 2022-031).
On November 2, 2021, a board workshop on the revised Park Ordinance was held with the Ramsey County Board.
On March 13, 2007, the Ramsey County Board approved amendments to the Ordinance for the Control and Management of Park, Creation and Open Space Areas and Facilities Under the Jurisdiction of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners and amendments were effective on April 27, 2007 (Resolution 2007-122).
Attachments
1. Ramsey County Parks & Recreation Proposed Ordinance
2. Park Ordinance Engagement Results
3. Proposed Schedule of Events