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Park board briefed on off-leash work group as city moves to designate dog areas by May 19
Summary
Staff said the city adopted ordinance changes in November requiring designated off-leash areas and that, effective Jan., dogs must be leashed citywide unless in designated areas; a community work group meets March 19 to recommend sites, with a target of at least one designated area by May 19.
Staff member Matt (parks staff) updated the Minnetonka Park Board on the off-leash dog community work group and reviewed the ordinance timeline and enforcement concerns.
Matt said the community work group has held two meetings and will hold a third on March 19. The group includes residents selected via the Minnetonka Matters page, two representatives from Friends of Minnetonka Parks, two members from community dog group Paws, park board members and staff, and Captain Meehan from community safety.
Matt told the board the city council adopted changes to two ordinances in November to clarify off-leash rules. "What that now means is effective as of January ... all dogs in Minnetonka have to be on a leash, unless it's in your your own yard or a friend's yard ... And on May 19, no dogs can be off leash in any of our parks unless it's a designated off leash area," a staff speaker said, summarizing the ordinance timeline and the board's need to review the work group recommendation before council action.
Board members asked for maps and sample ordinance language; Matt said consultants will provide materials to apply site characteristics to city land and that staff reviewed nearby communities' ordinance language when preparing the changes. The board also discussed enforcement and liability; Matt said staff are working closely with community safety and police on enforcement plans and will consult the city attorney and the League of Minnesota Cities on liability and recreational-immunity questions.
Members asked about fencing and capital funding. Matt said park-improvement funds can pay for smaller temporary fencing, while larger or longer-term fencing would need to be budgeted through the capital improvement plan. Staff also said they will explore layered funding (for example, Hennepin County grant programs) and outreach to multifamily properties or HOAs for larger projects.
The board discussed the Purgatory master plan (the city's most heavily used off-leash area) and noted the work group may revise master-plan recommendations; staff said any recommendation from the work group will come back to the park board and, if agreed, will move on to city council with the goal of a designated site in place by May 19.
No formal vote was taken by the board on the recommendation; staff emphasized the March 19 work group meeting as the final meeting before a board-level recommendation.
