UNION COUNTY — Visitors using the nonmotorized recreation side of the Mount Emily Recreation Area could find themselves needing to pay for parking in the future. 

The Union County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 4, to discuss implementing a parking permit program at the recreation area, better known as MERA.

The meeting, which includes a public hearing on the ordinance, begins at 9 a.m. in the Joseph Building Annex Conference Room, 1106 K Ave. in La Grande. The public hearing on the ordinance is set to begin at 9:30 a.m.

Parks Coordinator Josh Ford told commissioners at a previous meeting that the program would help MERA be self-sustaining without needing to rely on general fund dollars. If approved, the fees will go toward maintaining the trails, staging areas and related facilities.

The parking permit program would only be implemented on the nonmotorized side of MERA. It would affect the parking areas at Owsley Canyon trailhead, Lower Igo trailhead and Upper Igo trailhead.

The program would not impact motorized recreation users on the Fox Hill area of MERA. These users already help support and fund the recreation area through the purchase of off-highway vehicle permits, which are necessary to operate motorized vehicles on public lands. This also allows the county to receive funding for MERA.

If approved, a day-use parking pass would cost $5 and an annual pass would cost $30. There would also be a reduced rate annual pass, which would cost $20, available for active military, veterans, emergency services personnel, law enforcement and low-income families.

Parking permits will be purchased online at meetmera.org and will not be sold at the trailhead. Temporary permits will be available at the trailhead, which can be filled out with the information provided upon purchasing a day-use pass.

Permits will be required to be placed on the rearview mirror with the information facing outward.

If the proposal is approved, parking in the three lots without a permit would be punishable by a $100 fine per occurrence. Offenders will have the option to receive an annual pass when paying the citation, which will be payable online. Union County Parks staff will enforce the citations.

“We tried to design this in a way where we don’t put extra tasks on the sheriff’s office,” Ford said.

At the previous meeting, Ford told the commissioners that signs at MERA would alert visitors to the need for permits. There also may be a grace period for Union County residents, Ford said, where violators would receive warnings rather than citations for the first year.

The proposed ordinance includes circumstances in which the parks coordinator can grant exceptions for the day-use permit. These include:

• Emergency vehicles.

• Government vehicles on official business.

• Business and delivery vehicles on official business.

• Park concessionaires and their employees.

•  A person entering the park to engage in specially permitted nonrecreation activities.

• Park volunteers on duty.

• A person with a permit issued by another entity with which the department has a written agreement to honor their passes.

• Other persons as designated by the park coordinator.