Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Ordinance Plywood Trail topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Le Mars moves to amend park code to cover Plywood Trail; council raises enforcement and maintenance concerns
Summary
Council voted March 4 to proceed to a public hearing on an amendment to Section 46.08 of the Le Mars Code to explicitly apply city park rules to the Plywood Trail phase 1 under a 28E agreement; council members expressed concern about enforcement outside city limits and discussed an endowment to reimburse maintenance costs.
Le Mars City Council voted March 4 to proceed to a public hearing on an amendment to chapter 46 (park regulations) that would explicitly extend the city’s park rules to the portion of the Plywood Trail that the city will maintain under a 28E agreement with the Plywood Trail Foundation.
City staff told council that with completion of phase 1 of the Plywood Trail and the city’s 28E agreement to maintain and repair that section, it is important that the city’s park rules apply to the trail. The proposed amendment would add the specific trail portion to the list of city park facilities covered by Section 46.08 of the Le Mars Code of Ordinances.
At the meeting some council members raised concerns about enforcing city ordinances outside the municipal boundary. One council member said, “I’m not interested in trying to enforce ordinances outside of our city limits,” and asked where enforcement responsibility would stop. Staff responded that the 28E agreement assigns responsibility for maintenance and repair on the specified section and that the city’s police would need a mechanism to enforce park rules if, for example, someone drives an ATV on the trail.
Council members also discussed the expected endowment intended to reimburse the city for trail maintenance. Staff said the endowment is expected to reimburse maintenance costs to the city when it performs work, reducing the net long-term burden on the city.
Council approved the motion to proceed to a public hearing on the ordinance amendment; the hearing will allow public comment and further discussion before any ordinance change is adopted.
