Niles Township will soon have rules regarding the use of its public parks and trails, including the new Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail.

Clerk Terry Eull said the township’s board of trustees on Monday set a hearing to receive public comment on the proposed parks ordinance for 7:05 p.m. Aug. 3 at the township hall, located at 320 Bell Rd., Niles.

Under the new ordinance township trails would be closed from sunset to sunrise and limited to use by pedestrians and non-motorized transportation.

Pets must be kept on a leash and their waste must be picked up and deposited in a trash container.

The ordinance would allow the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department to enforce the rules and to provide penalties for violations.

Those who violate the rules may be subject to a municipal civil infraction and forced to pay a fine ranging from a minimum of $75 to a maximum of $500.

A copy of the complete ordinance can be found at the township hall. The board must approve the ordinance before it can take effect.

Eull said the township does not currently have an ordinance governing the use of parks and trails.

Also Monday:

• A representative from Gabridge and Company gave the township a clean audit report.

• Thomas Hall received a certificate of completion for firefighter training.

• The board approved sending fliers to township residents outlining the details of a special assessment that will appear on the Aug. 4 ballot. Residents will decide whether or not to approve a special assessment of up to $65 annually on each parcel of real property for a period of 10 years. The money generated would pay for fixing roads in the township.

• The board approved expanding employee Dave Davis’ contract to include mowing extremely tall grass and weeds on blighted properties.