MEMO TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Maxine Whattam, Parks Director
SUBJECT:
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Review of Proposed Changes to Redmond Municipal Code 9.32, Parks
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Review and discuss proposed changes to Redmond Municipal Code (RMC) 9.32, Parks prior to finalization and codification.
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II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Maxine Whattam, Parks Director, 425-556-2310
Shari Francois, Captain of Police Operations, 425-556-2564
Carolyn Hope, Park Planning & Cultural Arts Manager, 425-556-2313
David Shaw, Senior Park Planner, 425-556-2378
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
RMC 9.32 Parks, addresses civil and criminal behaviors on City park lands and trails. The last revisions of the section occurred over twenty years ago. Updated rules are needed to support recent and upcoming changes in the parks system, operation practices, and programming. The proposed revisions to the code clarify and modernize existing code language, adds new rules to address current and foreseen issues, and removes rules and language that are no longer relevant. The revision is intended to maximize positive behaviors in City parks and trails, keep public places feeling safe welcoming to all people, and maintain the high quality of park maintenance and cleanliness.
An inter-departmental team of staff from Parks and Recreation, Police, Planning and Community Development, and Communications has been assembled to create proposed code revisions. Draft code language is now ready for review by the City Council.
An update to RMC 9.33 regarding camping restrictions on City properties is also currently underway and is being coordinated with the update of RMC 9.32.
Proposed code changes are based on feedback received during a public engagement process. The effort included outreach to peer agencies, Commissions, the City Council, and the general public. A project webpage (www.redmond.gov/parkrules) was created and launched in June 2017 to provide information about this effort and an informal poll where over 370 respondents provided feedback on the specific changes being studied. While developing concepts and code language, City staff also met with eastside cities and King County staff members, and researched other city park rules on-line, in order to understand what other agencies are doing to update their park rules and learn what has worked well.
In September, staff sought guidance from the City Council on the proposed direction for key topics that had been studied. Staff have since created the draft code language intended to replace the existing RMC language and is being brought back to City Council for review. Ultimately, staff will seek a recommendation from City Council to codify the new language.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
Previous Council and Committee Meetings:
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Body |
Date |
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City Council Briefing |
April 4 |
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Public Safety Committee Briefing |
April 18 |
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City Council Study Session |
May 23 |
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Parks & Human Services Committee Briefing |
June 6 |
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Parks & Human Services Committee Briefing |
August 2 |
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Public Safety Committee Briefing |
August 15 |
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Parks & Human Services Committee Briefing |
November 11 |
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Public Safety Committee Briefing |
November 21 |
Staff have also briefed the Parks and Trails Commission on March 30th, June 1st,
August 3rd, September 18th and on November 2, 2017, the Commission passed a motion to recommend these proposed changes to RMC 9.32 to the City Council.
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
The update of this section of the RMC will give the Parks and Recreation Department and Police the legal tools needed to support desired behaviors on City park lands; keep parks welcoming, safe and inviting to all users, and; protect the public investment in City parks.
B. Fiscal Note:
There are no fiscal impacts at this time.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Alternatives to recommending the proposed code language for codification include:
1. Recommending the proposed code language with changes as discussed during the November 21 City Council meeting.
2. Not recommending the proposed code language, thereby keeping the current
RMC 9.32 in place.
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
Staff recommends the codification of the revised RMC chapter in 2017. This target is being driven by the opening of Downtown Park, scheduled for summer 2018. It would be beneficial for the updated park rules to be in place well before the opening of the new park to give Police and Parks staff ample time to become familiar with them beforehand.
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: RMC Parks - Proposed Code Revision
Attachment B: RMC 9.32 Parks (current code)