Title
Receive a report on final edits to Monterey County Code Chapter 14.12 (County Parks).
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Parks Commission:
Receive a report on final edits to Monterey County Code Chapter 14.12 (County Parks).
SUMMARY
Chapter 14.12 of the Monterey County Code was originally codified in 1970 to establish regulations for County Parks. This Chapter has been revised over the years, and the last update was in 2008. Changes in State laws, as well as organizational changes placing parks under the Resource Management Agency (RMA) initiated this effort to update current Parks policies and practices.
RMA prepared a revision of the entire Chapter 14.12 reorganizing and clarifying the Chapter's authority and scope. The revisions specifically reflect organizational changes placing Parks into the RMA, incorporate new smoking regulations, establish an invasive species inspection process for Lake San Antonio, and address park fees and permitted uses.
DISCUSSION:
RMA presented suggested changes to stakeholders over the past year, including options for smoking regulations in County parks. On November 2, 2017, staff provided a workshop for the Parks Commission to allow input and direction on Chapter 14.12 amendments. The Parks Commission recommended staff reorganize the Chapter structure in a style easier to read and understand similar to San Luis Obispo County, and ensure that fees are controlled by the Board of Supervisors or other approval mechanism.
Typically, staff would present a redline version of the ordinance to illustrate changes being made to Chapter 14.12. However, due to the complete Chapter reorganization, staff determined that the best approach would be to repeal and replace the entire Chapter, rather than update each section individually. Comments on changes made throughout the ordinance are included at the end of this discussion.
Most of the current ordinance language remains in the new version, although some s...
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