Objections from an insomniac, a former mayoral candidate who enjoys late-night swims and others were enough to pause the Langley City Council on Tuesday from adopting new citywide hours for parks.

The council opted not to make a decision on the proposal following a healthy discussion during the group’s regular city council meeting. The varying opinions expressed by the crowd, both for and against, warranted additional consideration, council members agreed. The time period in which the park will be closed is still unclear, with possibilities ranging from midnight to 6 a.m. or dusk to dawn.

David Marks, police chief, proposed last month the closure of parks after midnight to prevent the selling and usage of drugs. He said Tuesday that police have picked up 40 syringes of heroin from Seawall Park over the past two weeks and that the problem will only persist unless action is taken. He said the city should follow in the footsteps of Anacortes, Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Mukilteo and other cities which close parks at nighttime. The syringes have only been found at Seawall Park.

“My fear is that a kid is going to step on one of these or pick one up,” Marks said.

Marks said police can only take action when they catch the offenders in the act of using or selling drugs. Creating an ordinance that would allow police to act on those trespassing in parks would be a step toward fixing the issue, Marks said.

“Right now, we don’t have a reason to stop someone, detain someone, or ID someone in the park at night,” Marks said.

Debate and discussion among attendees, city council and Marks ensued during a public comment period. Some residents felt the closure of parks would infringe upon their freedoms to partake in nighttime activities like walking or swimming. Others felt police should have the necessary tools to stop the issue from occurring.

One resident felt the problem was more about disposal of the syringes rather than the hours in which the parks are used.

“I’m in favor of our parks as a symbol of our freedom and as a symbol of the kind of people we are,” said Jim Riley.

Another man who couldn’t be identified called those in favor of keeping the parks open “cowards” for allowing access to the parks for drug users.

Fred Lundahl, owner of Music for the Eyes on First Street, said Seawall Park is gaining a reputation as a dangerous place. He said multiple customers have reported finding graffiti in the area.

“It’s a tough call, but that’s the place that is looking bad and dangerous,” Lundahl said. “We need to do something. Not just for the drugs and the danger of kids stepping or picking up syringes, which is bad enough, but also for this obscene graffiti that’s down there.”

Fran Abel, a former Langley City councilwoman, said she has insomnia and that the parks serve an important role in her nighttime life. She felt outlawing usage of the parks during the night seemed unnecessarily “cruel and unkind.”

Sharon Emerson, a former mayoral candidate, said she would support a minimalistic approach and evaluate where to go from there. She added that there may need to be different rules for different parks, such as Cascade Park, which only has a bench.

Marks argued that safety concerns should trump late-night usage.

“I understand there’s a lot of people here who suddenly want to walk around the park at 3 in the morning, but this is a public safety concern,” Marks said. “It has to be addressed.”

Mayor Tim Callison said the council could create a code that mirrors an ordinance in Marysville which allows police to target suspected offenders while not interfering with others’ usage of the park. Marysville also closes its parks at nighttime.

“It’s pretty well known that we have an epidemic here on the South End of the island in terms of both heroin and meth use,” Callison said. “It’s not a problem that’s going to go away tomorrow, but I think what Dave is asking for is tools to do his job.”

Marks said his staff would work with whatever the council decides to do, but would prefer it to be closed from midnight to 6 a.m.