Parks staff forms advisory committee to update policies and procedures, seeks volunteers

Parks staff told the Park Board that the department is assembling an advisory committee to review and update parks policies and procedures.

Why it matters: Policies and procedures govern rentals, special events, signage, food trucks, enforcement and other operational matters. Staff said existing policies have not been updated in roughly two decades and that modernized policies will support accreditation work and better event oversight.

What staff described: The update will address special-event definitions (events under a thousand people may nonetheless require permitting and site plans), signage and rental procedures, coordination with the police department and methods to avoid conflicts (for example, by capturing porta-potty siting and flood-plain issues during special-use permits). Staff said they will prepare draft materials, circulate them to the committee and return recommended updates to the Park Board for review.

Committee process: Staff asked for volunteers to serve on the advisory committee; they cautioned against convening a committee that creates a quorum of the Park Board in order to comply with open-meeting rules. The committee will be asked to read drafts, meet in person or remotely a few times and advise staff on policy language prior to return to the full board.

Board action: Staff's request was informational; committee membership will be finalized by staff with assistance from the chair, and the board will be updated as drafts are prepared.

Ending: Staff will return draft policy and procedure changes to the Park Board for review and public consideration in the coming weeks.