You can haul beer into parks by the cooler-full, crack open a can on the golf course or sip suds during a softball game. But the standing policy in Columbia city parks is that alcohol can’t be sold by outside vendors.

That might be about to change.

Last night, the Columbia City Council moved to consider ending a ban on outside alcohol sales in Columbia’s 48 parks. City staff will now draft an ordinance allowing restricted sales during special events and festivities. The ordinance will be subject to a public hearing before it is voted on at an upcoming council meeting.

Mayor Darwin Hindman believes beer and wine can add to community gatherings if used sensibly. "I just think it will work and provide a significant amount of pleasure to people under controlled conditions," he said.

It also might be good for park revenue. Hindman pointed to an ice rink, The Ice Chalet, which opened on Old 63 in 1973. Rink owners chose the spot when their preferred location, Cosmo Park, could not relent on its no-alcohol policy. The rink later folded.

The draft policy also requires sellers to pay the city a fee of $100 or 10 percent of alcohol sales, whichever is higher. The council indicated, though, it might recommend a higher fee. "I think it ought to pay its way," Hindman said.

The alcohol issue was revived by a 2006 request by the Columbia Art League to sell alcohol at its annual Art in the Park festival. The city council granted organizers a conditional permit and asked Parks and Recreation Department officials to create a draft policy to clear up future confusion. Last month, the Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously voted to reject the draft policy after six people objected to it, saying they wanted to preserve a family-friendly environment in city parks and noting there already are plenty of places to drink in Columbia.

But some charge hypocrisy. Beer-by-the-drink has long been sold at the city’s two public golf courses and the Rainbow Softball Center.

Last night’s 5-1 vote was a decision to let the people decide, several council members said.

"To just reject any sort of decision without first putting it forth to the public might be a mistake," Third Ward Councilman Karl Skala said.

Some, though, think the city is acting irresponsibly. "What this does is further tear the fabric of the net we set up to protect our children from these dangerous substances," said Becky Markt, coordinator for the Youth Community Coalition. "Adults would be modeling this kind of behavior for children in the park."

Markt promised to distribute copies of a 2006 "Call to Action" by the U.S. surgeon general encouraging leaders to help curb underage drinking. About 7 million people younger than 21 are classified as "binge drinkers," the report says.

Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade agreed, casting the council’s lone "no" vote. "It is the entirely wrong set of messages" to send to young people, he said. "It is a message of approval from the city."

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hood said he’s neutral on the issue. "There’s some trade-off. It’s really, in my opinion, a community choices issue," he said. "Some communities allow people to have alcohol in the park; some ban it entirely. We can implement a policy either way, but it’s got to be either you do it or you don’t."

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