Monroe council approves first reading of broad park-code revisions after heated debate over open carry

Monroe City Council on Tuesday gave first reading approval to ordinance 017-2025, a package of revisions to Title 9 of the Monroe Municipal Code that changes park hours, clarifies watercraft and camping rules, tightens waste-disposal language, and expands the scope and duration of park exclusion orders.

The revisions aim to provide clearer, enforceable rules for parks across Monroe and to align enforcement and permitting processes for special events and maintenance. Council and staff debated several provisions at length, including whether police should be authorized to bar people who openly carry firearms from parks.

The most immediate change sets park hours as 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset unless otherwise posted; staff noted Lake Tai Park currently posts 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. for field lighting. The updated watercraft rule prohibits launching boats from trailers except at designated boat launches while allowing nonmotorized craft—paddleboards, kayaks, canoes—to be launched from other shore locations. The camping rule was clarified to allow overnight camping only through an approved special-event permit; portable shade structures are not considered camping, and overnight presence without a permit remains subject to the hours code.

On human waste disposal, the code now allows a “limited quantity” of sanitary waste contained in a single sealed, nonreusable absorbent garment—for example, an infant diaper or similar product—to be placed in city receptacles when generated during a park visit, while attempting to prohibit large-scale disposal (for example, RV-generated waste) into park trash cans. Fire rules were revised to allow supervised, self-contained gas cooking appliances on noncombustible surfaces and to keep grills away from playgrounds, sports fields and designated combustible areas.

Council also approved changes expanding park-exclusion authority. The draft allows law-enforcement-issued trespass notices to apply citywide (not only at the park where the incident occurred) and increases the maximum exclusion period to two years for serious violations; weapons-related offenses may trigger a two-year exclusion without prior violations. Violations of the park code were revised to match the city prosecutor’s requested language, making certain high-level violations misdemeanors.

The package cleared first reading on a 7-0 vote. Parks staff said a second reading is scheduled for Sept. 23.

A separate council motion to direct staff to draft an amendment prohibiting open carry in city parks failed after debate. Council members who spoke against that direction cited Second Amendment concerns and instances where they carry for personal safety; those voting against were recorded in the meeting as Council members Hanford, Fisher, Fulcher and Gamble. Several council members said they supported further study and a future discussion about whether and how the city could limit visible firearms in parks.

Parks staff and the city attorney said the proposed language attempts to balance public-safety needs, case law and enforceability; staff will bring back answers to questions raised about camping in vehicles and other edge cases at the second reading.

The ordinance also includes procedural guidance on memorial bench donations, noting applicants must pay for bench materials and installation to city design standards and the city will place and maintain donated benches after installation.

What happens next: staff will refine language requested by the council, prepare materials for second reading on Sept. 23, and follow up with the police department and city legal counsel on questions about day camping, vehicle camping and enforcement of weapons-related exclusions.