At the Oct. 10 Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, members raised concerns about recent requests to release easements on city‑owned parcels and whether those parcels had been cross‑checked against the 2022 parks and recreation report and the comprehensive plan.

The issue matters because committee members said a small number of current easement or release requests could affect property the city has previously identified for trails or pocket parks, and the committee wants a formal review step before easements or parcel sales are finalized.

Paul (city council liaison) described recent easement requests as not sales but “releasing of easements” in cases where private owners with adjacent lots sought release to build fences or alter property access. David (city parks staff) confirmed he had not yet compared the current release requests to the 2022 parks and rec report and agreed to do so with the development services director. “There have been a number of cases coming up recently where, these have all been in the vein of releasing of easements,” David said.

Committee members noted the city manager had been acting as development services director during a vacancy, which complicated tracking. Members asked staff to add a formal check of parks and trails plans to the review process for easement‑release requests, so council will be informed if a parcel under consideration is listed in the parks plan.

No formal action or ordinance was adopted; staff said they would compare active easement requests with the 2022 parks report and report back to council and the committee.