Council approves first reading of ordinance tightening rules for docking and beaching at city parks

Tega Cay City Council voted unanimously on March 17 to introduce (first reading) an ordinance amending Chapter 38 of the city code to restrict docking and beaching of motorized watercraft at city parks, including language aimed at overnight docking and use of city parks for compensated passenger or cargo transport.

The measure, introduced at council’s meeting after a planning commission recommendation, is intended to clarify park rules at swim beaches and launch sites and to give staff an enforcement mechanism for recurring issues observed last season at Pickern and Windjammer parks. City Manager Charlie Funderburk described the recurring activity that prompted the change and said staff had seen boats left tied at park areas “where the gentleman leaves his boat there overnight, all day long … so it becomes more of a private dock.”

Why it matters: Council members said the change responds to safety concerns at swim beaches, complaints about prolonged docking in public park areas, and commercial operators using park beaches as de facto staging areas. During discussion, council asked staff and law enforcement how the new rules would be enforced and whether parts of the draft conflict with state law.

Chief Crosby, Tega Cay’s police chief, told council the department had encountered commercial party operations last summer and described enforcement challenges around identifying who was operating for compensation. He said enforcement benefits from a clear local ordinance so officers may act at the scene: “When we arrived and we were talking to the boat driver, the boat driver was like, I have nothing to do with this. With this ordinance that would allow us then to cite the boat driver with a misdemeanor violation … because we knew from the facts that were given to us at the scene that they were given money for exchange for a service.”

The city attorney advised council that some proposed provisions overlapped or conflicted with state law and other existing city ordinances. The attorney recommended removing duplicative or preempted language — for example, wording on firearms and display of alcoholic beverages — and relying on the applicable state statutes or existing city codes for those offenses. Councilmembers said they wanted the ordinance to be enforceable while avoiding conflicts that would render a provision unusable.

Councilmembers also discussed targeted additions to the draft: making it unlawful to load or unload passengers or cargo for hire at parks without authorization, and explicitly banning beaching at swim areas such as Windjammer Park. Staff said special events and permitted activities would continue to be allowed under the city’s special-events permit process and could receive variances when appropriate.

The planning commission had voted unanimously to recommend the Marina Overlay District amendments and the related plan-development standards; planning commission chair Nick Amico summarized that the commission received little public input and recommended approval.

Councilmember discussion emphasized timing: several members said they wanted additional review of some broader code changes but supported moving the docking/beaching provisions forward before boating season. After debate and technical clarifications from staff and the city attorney, council voted to introduce the ordinance (first reading). The motion passed unanimously.

The ordinance will return for a second reading at a subsequent council meeting, at which time council may adopt, amend or defer it.

Ending: Staff said they will continue to review overlapping city code sections with the city attorney and present any additional, related ordinance changes to council in a coordinated fashion so enforcement language is consistent across the city code.