Committee backs dog beach changes, including $15 fee hike for passes

Members of the City Council’s Human Services Committee have backed some changes in the city code governing the recently reopened dog beach – including a hike in the cost of passes.

The committee took action Monday, March 6 at the request of city staff. Parks and Recreation staffers had reviewed dog beach information and discovered inconsistencies and omissions with some rules that were in the dog information packet and on the city’s website but not included in city code, according to a memo from Audrey Thompson, the city’s Parks and Recreation director.

At the Jan. 19 Parks and Recreation Board meeting, that panel unanimously voted in support of the proposed changes.

The changes include an increase in seasonal dog beach passes for residents, raising their cost from $60 to $75. Residents who can’t afford full cost can obtain reduced-fee passes at half cost, Thompson said at the Monday, March 6 meeting.

She said the Parks and Recreation Board settled on $200 as the cost for nonresidents after looking at fees charged by other municipalities, including Wilmette and Winnetka. Those towns’ fees for nonresidents were over $200, she said.

Council Member Bobby Burns, 5th Ward, asked about the city’s cost of maintaining the beach, which is between Clark Street Beach and the Church Street boat ramp.

Burns said “it would be great” if the city could cover the cost it was asking dog beach users to pay.

Thompson said, “I will just warn us against reducing significantly – just remembering in 2018, our fees were $60. And so we’ve only gone up $15 in five years. So, if you think of inflation, that’s a lot more than $15, so I think that’s why the Park and Rec Board was fine resting with $15.”

Council Member Krissie Harris, 2nd Ward, asked about the requirements of the reduced-fee passes.

Thompson said applicants would have to meet the city’s fee assistance requirements, which asks for verification of residency and income. Forms can be obtained at any of the city’s four community centers. (For more information, visit the city’s website, cityofevanston.org).

Some other changes or additions to the ordinance include:

• “The Dog Beach will open on March 1, weather permitting and will remain open until inclement weather prohibits staff to safely maintain access. Once closed, the dog beach shall remain closed through March 1 or when weather permits reopening.”
• Hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• “Annual passes are valid March 1 through the end of the season closure date. Cook County Animal & Rabies Control Ordinance requires that all dogs using the dog beach in off leash areas have current vaccinations or titers (antibodies) for Rabies, Distemper (CFV), Hepatitis (Canine Adenovirus-2), Para-influenza (CPIV), Parvovirus (CPV), Leptospirosis, Bordetella (kennel cough), and a negative fecal test by a veterinarian’s office for internal parasites, within the last year. Written proof is required prior to a dog beach pass being issued by the City of Evanston.”
• “All dogs must be licensed by the local government where the dog owner lives. Valid pass holders are prohibited from lending, sharing, or supplying passes, permits, and/or gate codes with unauthorized persons.” 
• “No more than two (2) dogs per person will be allowed.”

Human Services Committee members voted unanimously in favor of the changes, moving the issue to the full City Council.