The Rowlett City Council on July 1 adopted an amendment to city code that prohibits internal-combustion engine watercraft at the Paddle Point Park launch on Lake Ray Hubbard while explicitly allowing battery-powered electric motors.

Council Member Bowers presented the item, telling colleagues the ordinance “only really codifies the rules that were already in place that were on our website” and that codification would give police clear enforcement authority at Paddle Point Park. Bowers noted signage dating before the 2015 tornado limited the launch to small nonmotorized craft and said no-wake buoys had been installed at the kayak launch area.

Council Member Shoop said he supported limiting motorized craft but wanted to allow trolling motors and small electric propulsion systems on jon boats and kayaks. “I would like to see an amendment that would allow trolling motors to be used on Jon boats,” Shoop said, describing common electric propulsion setups running from 12‑volt batteries. Council members agreed to an amendment to permit “watercraft powered only by electric battery powered motor.”

The ordinance sets a penalty of a fine not to exceed $500 and passed unanimously after a motion by Bowers and a second by Reeves.

The item followed public comment about park misuse. Resident Dave Hull described litter and unsafe conduct at Paddle Point Park, including glass bottles and an elderly swimmer in a “no swimming” area. “The undesirable park stuff is evolving faster than we can control it with the ordinances and park management policies,” Hull said, urging the council to address enforcement.

Council members discussed but declined to adopt a permit system for motorized launch at city boat launches, noting legal and logistical constraints because the city does not control the entire lake shoreline and that a permit-for-launch approach could be hard to enforce.

The council asked staff to implement the ordinance and clarified that the fine is a maximum subject to court determination rather than an automatic penalty.