Commissioners and parks staff refine draft parks ordinance; refer to parks board and July fee schedule

Commissioners and parks staff reviewed a draft parks ordinance in detail, raising corrections and policy clarifications for a future public hearing and fee schedule update.

Parks staff (identified in the transcript as Donna) walked commissioners through specific edits: correcting place names (the transcript identifies "Fizz Spring" vs. "Fisk/Bishop Spring" signage), standardizing the OHV acronym wording, and fixing several textual errors. Commissioners discussed whether to prescribe a set number of consecutive overnight days (the draft uses 14) or leave the duration subject to board order; staff advised keeping 14 days in the ordinance but noted the board can change it by order for emergencies such as wildfire or special circumstances.

Policy issues discussed included vendor fees, vendor/permitting requirements and commercial guide services operating out of county parks. Participants noted the existing county fee schedule (annual pass $45 referenced in discussion) and current vendor fees discussed earlier in committee ($35 without electricity, $50 with electricity). Commissioners asked staff to prepare clear language requiring concession/permit holders and guide services to provide proof of insurance, appropriate licenses (including Oregon State Marine Board requirements for boat-based services), and safety equipment. Commissioners directed staff to bring vendor and guide-service fee recommendations to the July fee-schedule update; in the interim, staff recommended charging the posted day-use or overnight fees for vendors until the new schedule takes effect.

Staff and commissioners also discussed park-specific operational details: Bishop Spring (referred to in the transcript as "Bishop Spring" and separately as "Fizz/Fisk Spring") was noted as a wayside where public use occurs from dawn to dusk but where camping has historically occurred; trustees suggested clarifying whether Bishop Spring remains open overnight or specifies different rules. Commissioners asked that the corrected draft be sent to the parks board for review and that staff schedule the parks board as soon as feasible, with a goal of returning the ordinance for formal consideration after parks-board input and the July fee schedule work.

No final ordinance vote occurred at the session; the board recorded several direction items for staff, including updating spellings, adding vendor/guide-service permit language and scheduling follow-up meetings and a parks-board review.