The powers of the Seymour Board of Parks and Recreation include:
(A) Enter into contracts and leases for facilities and services;
(B) Contract with persons for joint use of facilities for the operation of park and recreation programs and related services;
(C) Contract with another board, a unit, or a school corporation for the use of park and recreation facilities or services, and a township or school corporation may contract with the Board for the use of park and recreation facilities or services; acquire and dispose of real and personal property, either within or outside Indiana;
(D) Exercise the power of eminent domain under statutes available to municipalities;
(E) Sell, lease, or enter into a royalty contract for the natural or mineral resources of land that it owns, the money received to be deposited in a nonreverting capital fund of the Board;
(F) Engage in self-supporting activities as prescribed by this chapter;
(G) Contract for special and temporary services and for professional assistance;
(H) Delegate authority to perform ministerial acts in all cases except where final action of the Board is necessary;
(I) Prepare, publish, and distribute reports and other materials relating to activities authorized by this chapter;
(J) Sue and be sued collectively by its legal name, as the “Seymour Park and Recreation Board,” with service of process being had upon the President of the Board, but costs may not be taxed against the Board or its members in any action;
(K) Invoke any legal, equitable, or special remedy for the enforcement of this chapter, a park or recreation ordinance, or the Board’s own action taken under either;
(L) Release and transfer, by resolution, a part of the area over which it has jurisdiction for park and recreational purposes to park authorities of another unit for park and recreational purposes upon petition of the park or recreation board of the acquiring unit;
(M) (1) Advertise for employment of the Superintendent (Director); conduct interviews of prospective candidates for the Superintendent’s position; select the three finalists for that position; and recommend those three individuals to the Mayor. He or she (the Mayor) shall then choose one of those three finalists for his or her appointment of the Superintendent (Director). If there is cause to remove the Superintendent (Director), the Board may so recommend to the Mayor; however, removal and termination of the Superintendent (Director) shall be the exclusive province of the Mayor;
(2) Employ personnel in addition to the Director that are necessary to carry out the duties, functions, and powers of the Board, including the hiring and termination of employees, with the exception of the Superintendent (Director);
(N) Make all rules and regulations, consistent with the laws of the state and ordinances of the city for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the park and recreation facilities and park system within the city;
(O) The Board may also lease buildings or grounds belonging to the unit and located within a park to a person for a period not to exceed 50 years. The lease may authorize the lessee to provide upon the premises educational, research, veterinary, or other proper facilities for the exhibition of wild or domestic animals in wildlife parks, dining facilities, swimming facilities, golf courses, skating facilities, dancing facilities, amusement rides generally found in amusement parks, or other recreational facilities. A lease may be made for more than one year only to the highest and best bidder, after notice that the lease will be made has been given by publication in accordance with I.C. 5-3-1;
(P) Notwithstanding division (N), the Board may lease buildings or grounds belonging to the unit for a period of more than one year without soliciting the highest and best bidder or providing notice under I.C. 5-3-1 if: the buildings or grounds are leased to an Indiana nonprofit corporation; the buildings or grounds are operated as a public golf course; and the golf course remains subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Board; and
(Q) All other powers contained in the Park and Recreation statutes set forth in the Indiana Code, specifically I.C. 36-10-3 et seq., as amended from time to time.
(1987 Code, § 5-3) (Am. Ord. 4, 2004, passed 2-23-2004)