Off-leash opponents threatening to sue Salt Lake City

Opponents of a recent Salt Lake City Council decision to let dogs run free at Parleys Historic Nature Park are threatening legal action against the city.

Jeff Salt, executive director of the Great Salt Lakekeeper and chairman of Friends of Parleys Historic Nature Park, sent a letter to council members Tuesday, calling the July 17 vote "clearly a blatant attempt to change dog-leash ordinances without taking the formal steps necessary to amend existing statutes."

Salt wrote that he was sending the letter "to communicate our organization's intent to file a lawsuit in district court to halt off-leash use in the park."

He did not specify when he plans to file the lawsuit.

City Attorney Ed Rutan declined to comment, which is his office's standard procedure for pending or threatened litigation.

The 6-1 council vote made permanent a yearlong test period during which dog owners were allowed to let their dogs run leash-free. But opponents of the off-leash action have complained that the dogs present an environmental danger to waterways, wildlife such as ducks and the park's serene setting.

The park has been a source of ongoing contention as conservation groups say it has become overused, while dog owners cherish it as one of the valley's few off-leash areas.

In Salt's letter, he said his group believes the council lacks jurisdiction over the park, part of which lies in unincorporated Salt Lake County, and that the move was in violation of Salt Lake County ordinances.

The council vote included a promise to adopt an environmental management plan for the park and to work on looking for other possible off-leash sites to alleviate the pressure on Parleys.

City officials have said they will also create an advisory board to oversee the park's environmental stewardship.

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