Smithville Park Board reviews updated park rules and public facility use policy, discusses enforcement and event requirements

The Smithville Park Board spent the bulk of its meeting reviewing proposed updates to the city's park rules and the public facility use policy, focusing on enforcement, special-event requirements and reservation procedures.

Board members and parks staff said the revisions are intended to bring department-level rules into alignment with the city policy manual and to clarify how the city will handle reservations, cancellations and special events. "Administration is requiring all departments to review their policies and procedures outlined in the city policy manual," parks staff member Matt said as he introduced the review. Staff said the version on the city's website and the department's copy had diverged and needed reconciliation.

Board members pressed staff on a number of enforcement and operational issues. Members asked the city to explicitly add vaping to the smoking prohibition now written into the draft policy; board member Kyle said the board should "add vaping into that too." Matt and other staff agreed to include vaping in the list of prohibited activities in parks.

The proposed rules reaffirm that parks generally are open from daylight to dusk, make permitted and prohibited items explicit and require permits for organized events and structures. Key changes and clarifications discussed include:

- Pets and leashes: The draft requires animals be under the immediate control of an owner and limits dogs and cats to six-foot leashes. Board members raised frequent incidents of off-leash dogs on trails and ballfields and asked the police and future animal-control staff to help enforce leash rules when parks staff are not present. Matt said the city relies on the police for enforcement "when we're not here." The city is budgeting for an animal-control officer in the next fiscal cycle, staff said.

- Smoking and vaping: The draft extends the existing tobacco restriction to indoor and outdoor park facilities and staff and board members recommended explicitly adding vaping. Board members said enforcement at parks and ballfields will rely on visibility, signage and police support during busy periods.

- Motorized devices, e-bikes and ATVs: Members asked staff to add language distinguishing low-speed pedal-assist e-bikes from throttle-based bikes and to consider a reasonable speed limit for trail use. The board asked staff to research other municipalities' wording and return with proposed verbiage. Members also raised concerns about ATVs and dirt bikes on remote trails.

- Drones: The board asked staff to add a drone policy requiring permission for flights, especially at events and near crowds.

- Reservations, cancellations and deposits: The policy now includes clearer minimum-reservation windows, cancellation and rescheduling rules, and a tiered schedule of fees. Staff proposed shorter cancellation timeframes and explicit rescheduling options; for example, shelters may be canceled two weeks prior for a full refund. To address damage claims and back-to-back reservations, staff and board members recommended requiring images at the end of a rental to document condition before returning a deposit.

- Special events and parades: The draft adds a special-event permit and parade rules, including requirements for marshals, pre-event safety meetings and a prohibition on throwing items from floats; businesses distributing items must hand them out from the curb. Staff said approved events must provide proof of insurance and may be required to list the city as an additional insured.

- Insurance: The special-event insurance requirement was raised from $1 million to $2 million per occurrence for larger events. Staff said the city's own policy was increased to the same level and that many vendors can obtain coverage for a modest fee.

Board members and staff discussed ways to present the rules to the public, including signage with a short set of highlighted rules and a QR code linking to the full policy online. "Bullet points and QR codes are easier to update than printed signs," one board member said. Staff said the city is updating its website and will add the policy and reservation tools there.

Matt said staff will refine the language on vaping, e-bikes, drones and deposit/photo procedures and return the revised draft for further committee review; the city plans to consolidate policy updates in the city policy manual later in the year. "We'll have time to bring this back for final approval in plenty of time," Matt said.

The board did not take a formal vote on the policy at this meeting; staff will return with a revised draft for future consideration.