Council reviews revisions to parks code to add golf course rules; neighbors raise concerns about music and hours

City staff presented an ordinance to amend Chapter 94 of the city code to add the municipal golf course into the parks, grounds and property rules and to update other park-use provisions. Staff said the changes include a new definition for "golf course property," provisions to permit recreational walking on the golf-course cart paths before the first tee time and after the close of play, explicit prohibitions on camping, fishing and loitering on golf-course grounds, allowance for the contracted operator to set hours with departmental approval, and a ban on metal-detecting on the course.

“Just to kind of go over what we did with the golf course, we added a specific definition to the golf course as it is not a park and it is not a sports field,” staff presenter Miss Wilson told the council. She said the operator would be allowed to set hours of operation subject to the department director’s approval to accommodate seasonal maintenance needs.

Wilson said the proposed noise revisions in Chapter 94 apply to parks and not to the golf course; the golf course remains regulated under Chapter 93 (noise). “To clarify, the proposed revision to the noise ordinance in chapter 94 ... applies exclusively to parks and does not affect the golf course property and it is not designated as a park by definition in the proposed amendments. The golf course remains regulated under chapter 93 noise,” she said.

Council discussion focused heavily on the driving range’s recent use of lights and music during evening hours under the private operator Paradigm. Several councilors and residents reported receiving comments and a petition citing noise concerns. Council members asked whether restricting walking to dawn-to-dusk or keeping a clearer public notice about first/last tee times would help neighbors know when it’s safe to walk on cart paths. Staff recommended that residents call the pro shop for daily tee-time information and said the pro shop posts and online schedules generally reflect dawn‑to‑dusk operations.

Council members also suggested breaking golf-course rules out into a separate subsection of Chapter 94 to make the code easier for the public to navigate; staff said they could work with the Parks and Recreation Commission to prepare that change and recommended either tabling the ordinance or approving it and then returning with clarifying edits. The Parks and Recreation Commission had previously recommended the amendments and reviewed public comments during the required 30‑day review period; 13 comments were received on the city’s Engage platform, staff said.

Why it matters: the amendments formally bring golf-course operations into the city’s parks and grounds regulatory framework, set rules for public walking on the course, and establish trespass and no‑fishing prohibitions; neighbors and councilors are watching how noise and lighting are enforced between the code (Chapter 93) and the proposed changes.

Next steps: staff said the ordinance is scheduled for council action soon; council discussion included options to approve as drafted and then return with an organizational subsection for golf-course rules, or to table the item and have staff coordinate revisions with the Parks and Recreation Commission.