Boulder officials aren’t saying whether police plan to evict the Occupy Boulder encampment outside the Municipal Building tonight, but protesters are preparing for a possible encounter with police nevertheless.

City Manager Jane Brautigam on Thursday signed a new rule closing all city parks from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in response to health and safety concerns related to encampments like the one at 1777 Broadway.

But Sarah Huntley, a city spokeswoman, said this morning that authorities will not discuss “when or if” police plan to enforce the rule.

The city posted signs warning people about the new rule this morning and Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner visited the encampment earlier today to discuss the rule with protesters.

“Boulder police officers have been engaging in dialogues with Occupy Boulder participants all along. I thought it was important to continue those dialogues so that they understood the new rule, when it goes into effect and what the potential consequences are if they decide to stay,” Beckner said in a statement.

“The police department intends to enforce the trespassing regulation, but what we are really hoping for is voluntary compliance,” Beckner added. “We support all people’s First Amendment rights to express their opinions, and hope they will do so during the daytime hours.”

While some members of the Occupy Boulder encampment said Thursday that they plan to stay outside the Municipal Building past 11 p.m., a message posted on the group’s Facebook page this morning indicates the campers are planning to clear out tents, sleeping bags and other personal property that the city has the authority to confiscate if left overnight.

P.J. Jentsch, who was one of the first protesters to erect a tent outside of the Boulder County Courthouse in November, said the group plans to leave a few tents up for symbolic purposes.

“If they tear down those tents, they are taking down our freedoms,” he said.

The group is advertising a “dance party” at 11:01 tonight in protest of the new rule. Jentsch said about 30 people from the Occupy Denver movement were going to be coming up to protest the closure rule, but with Boulder police remaining quiet on their enforcement plan, the campers said they were not sure what would happen tonight.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but there might be some arrests,” Jentsch said.

While making signs at the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center this afternoon, Fiore Grey said she hoped any interactions between police and protesters would remain peaceful.

“We’ll assert our right to joyfully assemble and peacefully protest,” she said.

Anyone caught defying the closure may be ticketed for trespassing under municipal or state law. A municipal offense carries a maximum fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail. A charge under state law is a class-one petty offense that carries a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months in jail.