Council gives first presentation to ordinance codifying park rules; parks district seeks enforcement support

The Prineville City Council gave a first presentation to Ordinance 1299, which would codify parks rules—many adopted earlier by the Crook County Parks and Recreation District—and provide the city a codified basis for enforcement through an intergovernmental agreement.

Steve Warren, executive manager of the Crook County Parks and Recreation District, said the district previously approved its rules as a resolution but lacks enforcement officers to apply them. “We have no enforcement agents to actually enforce these ordinance[s] or these rules,” Warren said, and he described working with the police chief to make the rules enforceable.

City Attorney Jared Reed explained the city has an existing intergovernmental agreement with the park district for assistance, but without the rules in city code it is harder for officers and the public to know what is enforceable. Reed described the ordinance as a best practice and said it supports the district’s pursuit of agency accreditation.

Councilors raised questions about firearms and leash enforcement. Reed responded that Oregon law authorizes carrying firearms and that the ordinance would not itself change state law. On leash enforcement, staff and the police noted leash violations and related nuisance enforcement occur across parks; a community‑oriented approach and education were discussed as the first step.

The council moved and seconded approval of the ordinance’s first presentation; Jared Reed clarified procedural timing: “So you approve an ordinance on one presentation, and then it comes back for a second presentation in two weeks, and then it's passed thereafter.” The motion to approve the first presentation passed by voice vote.

If the ordinance is adopted after the second presentation, staff said the parks district will post the codified rules, distribute copies to district vehicles, and use education before issuing enforcement actions.