Taylorsville imposes fee on dog-park use

TAYLORSVILLE — Taylorsville's Millrace Park has become popular among residents and nonresidents alike, all of whom visit for different reasons. But probably the biggest draw has been its off-leash dog park.

The draw has been so big, in fact, that the park has become overused and the maintenance has gotten a little out of control. So the City Council voted 3-1 this past week for a parks ordinance that aims, in part, to rein in the dog park.

"It's unfortunate that we have to put those kinds of ordinances on it," Mayor Russ Wall said. "A few people who haven't behaved themselves make it so we have to make a little stronger ordinances."

Among the major changes the ordinance brings is a new fee for use of the off-leash area of the park. Taylorsville residents will have to pay $10 per year, while nonresidents will pay $25.

"If we're going to charge a fee to Taylorsville residents — and they're already paying for the park through their taxes — it's only fair to charge nonresidents a little more," Wall said.

He said the fee is not intended to be a moneymaker for the city but will instead help the city keep control over the park, allowing, for example, easier tracking of dog owners who repeatedly cause problems.

"If every dog owner in Taylorsville bought a tag and the same number from outside (the city) bought a tag, it still wouldn't cover the costs" of maintaining the park, he said. "The real purpose of the tags is it gives us better control over who's in the park."

Wall and City Administrator John Inch Morgan both emphasized that that they see the fees as small and manageable — "it's not going to break anybody," Wall said — and that they stand in contrast to the more significant fees some residents and nonresidents worried about in the run-up to this decision.

The park has been a point of contention for several months, as it is one of the few off-leash dog parks in the county and has become a destination for people from all over the area. That has led to its popular pond becoming clogged with dog hair and waste and the grass turning into a muddy, torn-up mess.

The new ordinance also prohibits dogs — on or off leash — from being taken inside the "tot lot" children's area. The originally proposed ordinance would not have allowed dogs within 50 feet of the lot, but the council amended that provision.

The ordinance sets a limit of two dogs in the off-leash area per person.

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