The Park and Recreation Commission of the City of Milford is established by the Charter of the Municipality of Milford, Section 6.09. The Park and Recreation Commission is authorized to exercise such power and authority as may be conferred upon it through the Charter, City Ordinances and the Ohio Revised Code.
(a) Composition.
(1) The Park and Recreation Commission shall consist of seven (7) members, all of whom shall be electors of the Municipality appointed by Council and one of whom shall be a member of Council elected by Council. No member of the Park and Recreation Commission shall hold any other office or employment with the Municipality.
(2) The six (6) non-council members shall serve a four-year term, unless sooner removed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the full legal Council. The Council member appointed to the Park and Recreation Commission shall serve for the term of his office, unless sooner removed by a simple majority vote of the remaining members of Council.
(3) Parks and Recreation Commission members are volunteer positions.
(4) The initial appointment of the six (6) non-council members may be of terms less than four (4) years, in order to stagger the terms of the members.
(b) Duties.
(1) The Park and Recreation Commission shall have the following duties and functions:
A. Review and recommend plans for park improvements, including landscaping, equipment, fixtures and other improvements.
B. Monitor the implementation of the Park and Recreation Master Plan.
C. Recommend priorities for park capital improvements within the budget established by Council.
D. Recommend park operation policies for implementation by the City Manager, including hours, rules, and use of parks by groups.
E. Review and recommend other park-related items such as promotional materials, sponsored events, and community programs.
F. Assist City Staff by volunteering with Parks and Recreation including events and programs.
(2) These duties shall not infringe on the authority and duties of either City Council or the City Manager, as provided in the City Charter.
(c) Officers.
(1) A chairman and vice-chairman shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the Commission every year at the first regular meeting.
(2) The Chairman shall preside at all meetings and shall have the power to appoint any committees as may be authorized by the Commission for special studies and circumstances. The chairman shall rule on all points of order or procedure unless otherwise directed by a majority of the Commission in session at that time.
(3) The vice-chairman shall provide and exercise all of the duties of the chairman in his absence. Should neither the chairman nor vice-chairman be present at a meeting, a temporary chairman shall be elected by a majority of the members present.
(4) The chairman or presiding officer shall have the same privilege of originating and seconding motions, voting on all matters, and participating in discussion and deliberations, as allowed to all other members of the Commission, without relinquishing the chair.
(5) The City Manager shall appoint a Secretary for the Park and Recreation Commission, as provided by Ordinance, The Secretary shall record the meeting minutes, provide for public notice, and maintain the Commission’s records.
(d) Meetings and Scheduling.
(1) All meetings of the Park and Recreation Commission shall be open to the public.
(2) The meetings of the Park and Recreation Commission will be held in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, or such other place in the City of Milford as deemed advisable by the Park and Recreation Commission.
(3) If the regular meeting day falls on a legal holiday, the regular meeting will be held the following week. The Park and Recreation Commission may also reschedule a regular meeting if it deems it advisable, and if public notice is given.
(4) A quorum must be present to constitute an official meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission and for the Commission to vote on any item requiring its action. A quorum shall consist of four (4) members.
(5) A special meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission may be called by the chairman, or the vice-chairman in the event the chairman is unavailable, or any four (4) members of the Commission, in the case of a special meeting, sufficient notice of the time, place and purpose of the special meeting shall be conveyed to the members and proper notice as required by the State of Ohio public meetings law and the City of Milford Charter shall be provided.
(6) The normal order of business shall be:
A. Call to Order.
B. Roll Call.
C. Consideration of the minutes of the previous meeting.
D. Old Business.
E. New Business.
F. Consultation and discussion items.
G. Miscellaneous items.
(7) The chairman may vary the order of the agenda if he determines, because of the number of persons present or for some other reason, that items should be considered in an order other than what appears on the agenda.
(e) Records.
(1) Minutes shall be kept by the Secretary on all meetings of the Park and Recreation Commission. Such minutes shall contain all motions and votes of the Park and Recreation Commission.
(2) The minutes shall be subject to the approval of the Park and Recreation Commission, and if approved shall be authenticated and signed by the chairman or presiding officer and the Secretary.
(3) All records of the Park and Recreation Commission will be kept on file at City Hall and be available for public inspection during regular business hours.
(f) Conflicts of Interest. If a member of the Park and Recreation Commission believes that he may have a conflict of interest on any matter before the Commission, he shall do the following before that item of business is presented:
(1) Announce the possible conflict and the reason for it.
(2) Request to either be excused, if the member thinks he shouldn’t vote, or to participate, if the member thinks that he can engage in the discussion and cast a fair vote.
(3) The Law Director will be the final arbiter on whether a conflict exists.
(4) If a member is excused due to a conflict, he shall leave the room for the duration of the item of business on which he has a conflict.
(5) If the chairman is excused due to a conflict, the vice-chairman will preside over the hearing. If the vice-chairman is absent or cannot participate, the Park and Recreation Commission will elect a temporary presiding officer.
(g) Procedures.
(1) The agenda, staff reports, supporting documentation and other information for the forthcoming meeting shall be prepared by the Secretary and shall be transmitted to the Park and Recreation Commission in a timely manner prior to the regular meeting.
(2) All proceedings and decisions of the Commission shall be initiated by motion. Motions shall be voted upon only if seconded. The vote upon all valid motions shall be recorded in the minutes.
(3) The Park and Recreation Commission may direct the staff to review and render a decision on certain modifications to plans or agreements, if such modifications are anticipated by the Park and Recreation Commission. The authority to approve such modifications shall be limited to the items specified by the Park and Recreation Commission.
(h) Amendments.
(1) These rules may be amended or modified provided that such amendment is reviewed by the Park and Recreation Commission prior to Council action.
(2) These rules may be suspended, or their application varied, for a particular item of business by a motion and vote of two-thirds (2/3) of those Commission members present at the meeting. Each item of business for which the rules are suspended or modified must be voted upon individually.
(Ord. 23-220. Passed 5-16-23.)