HUTTO – If you’re planning a party at any of Hutto’s parks this holiday season, leave your silly string and glass containers at home or you may face a fine up to $200. Hutto City Council recently passed an ordinance changing some of the park rules. The new rules are already in effect, but the signage has not yet been updated.
Chief among those changes was the new ban on water balloons, silly string, confetti, glitter and any party favors containing such items. Confetti eggs, poppers and confetti cannons, commonly used in gender-reveal parties, are all banned. Possession of any of these items on park property or parking areas is a Class C misdemeanor.
Piñatas were originally listed as prohibited items under the new ordinance, but city council members objected.
“Piñatas are culturally important to a lot of people and there are people who basically, if they’re going to have a birthday party, they expect to have a piñata. And if they can’t rent a park and have a piñata then it becomes unintentionally a discriminatory issue,” said council member Dan Thornton.
Other council members commented that piñatas stuffed with candy pose less of a litter problem than glitter or silly string. Jeff White, director of Parks & Recreation, explained that piñatas were added to the list solely because his crews spend a lot of time cleaning up piñata litter. Ultimately, piñatas were not prohibited in the new ordinance.
Early morning outdoor enthusiasts may be disappointed to discover that any trail within a park is now off-limits after 11 p.m. and before 6 a.m. Previously, although the parks were technically closed, the trails that run through them were accessible 24 hours a day.
“There was some confusion last time about if they were on the trail they were in the park, so we just kind of eliminated that one,” said White. “The parks and trails will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. is what we’re proposing.”
Peeling out or “burning rubber” is newly prohibited within city parks and their parking lots.
Recreational swimming is still not permitted in any public park water feature, but other uses of the ponds, creeks and lakes in the park may now be allowed thanks to an observation by council member Randal Clark.
“We, as a city event at Brushy Creek Amphitheater, did water safety with kayaks in the water feature in May. So technically, the city itself in its own words committed a Class C misdemeanor for every single person that came out to Hutto,” he pointed out.
The revised ordinance removes the prohibitions against uses other than recreational swimming.
City council requested that signage be installed at the parks highlighting some of the new rules and displaying a QR code for park-goers to access the entire ordinance. Until that new signage is up, residents should remember that having alcoholic beverages, feeding ducks or other wildlife, and operating a drone will all get you on the naughty list and could result in a fine up to $200.
