There shall be a Parks and Recreation Commission of no fewer
than seven and no more than 11 members, as determined by resolution
of the Board of Selectmen. The members shall be electors of the Town.
The members shall serve without compensation and shall hold no other
office of trust or emolument in the Town government. Service on committees
of the Town government is not prohibited by this section, provided
that such service does not create a conflict of interest as defined
in the Town Code of Ethics.
The Selectmen shall on or promptly after the first day of December
in each year appoint 1/3 of the members of the Parks and Recreation
Commission for a term of three years, all of whom, after qualification,
shall hold office from the first day of December and until their successors
have been appointed and have qualified. If 1/3 of the total membership
is not a whole number, then the Selectmen shall divide the membership
as equally as may be into three appointment classes, and the members
of the classes shall be appointed on a three-year rotation. There
shall be minority representation on the Commission in accordance with
§ 9-167a of the General Statutes.
On or promptly after the first day of December in each year,
the Parks and Recreation Commission shall meet at the call of the
First Selectman to choose one of its members to be Chairman and one
of its members to be Secretary. The Chairman, when present, shall
preside at all meetings of the Commission and shall have a vote as
a member thereof. In the absence of the Chairman, the Board shall
choose one of its members Chairman pro tempore. The Secretary shall
file in the office of the Town Clerk a full and detailed record of
all proceedings, acts and resolutions of the Commission, including
the votes of each member on all actions taken, and such record shall
be a public record. A majority of the total members shall constitute
a quorum and the concurrence of a majority of those present shall
be necessary for the transaction of business.
The Commission shall exercise powers and perform duties as follows:
A.
Recommend to the Selectmen for adoption by the Town Council such
bylaws or ordinances relating to public recreation and the use of
parks and other recreational facilities as, in its opinion, shall
be proper.
B.
Consider and make recommendations to the Selectmen as to the acceptance
of donations or devises of property to the Town for park or recreational
purposes.
C.
Consider and recommend to the Planning and Zoning Commission acquisition
of parks and other recreational facilities.
D.
In conjunction with the Town Recreation Department, organize, direct,
control, equip, foster and promote recreational programs and activities
in public parks, streets, public buildings or elsewhere in the Town
except those recreational programs and activities under the jurisdiction
of the Board of Education or those recreational programs and activities
that may from time to time be delegated to any other board, commission,
committee or authority of the Town by the Charter or by any bylaw
or ordinance adopted by the Town Council.
E.
Evaluate the maintenance and care of parks, utilizing the resources
of the park maintenance staff of the Department of Public Works, within
the annual budget allocation provided to the Commission by the Town,
or as may be more specifically provided by ordinance.
F.
On or promptly after the first day of November in each year, the
Commission shall submit an Annual Report to the Board of Selectmen
and the Town Council, which report shall include the following sections:
(1)
RECREATION: describing activities for the past year, and new goals
and projects, pertaining to the recreational programs and facilities;
(2)
PARKS: describing activities for the past year, and the current condition
of the parks, park maintenance needs and short-term plans, and capital
projects and long-range planning.
The Selectmen, upon recommendation of or after consultation
with the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning and Zoning
Commission, may consider the acceptance of gifts, donations or devises
of land or other property for park or recreational purposes and recommend
to the Town Council the acceptance or rejection thereof. Should the
Selectmen, after consultation with the Parks and Recreation Commission
find it necessary or advisable to acquire land or facilities or both
for park and recreational purposes or for the improvement of park
property, they shall make a report relative thereto to the Board of
Finance, together with a request for a special appropriation. When
an appropriation for such acquisition or improvement shall have been
made by the Town Council, the Selectmen shall have exclusive charge
of the disbursement of such appropriation in substantial accord with
the purpose for which such appropriation was made. If the carrying
out of any such recommendation makes necessary the condemnation of
land, the Town is authorized to take such land within the limits of
the Town by condemnation for the purpose of such public use.
The Selectmen may, upon recommendation of or after consultation
with the Parks and Recreation Commission, recommend to the Town Council
the adoption of bylaws and ordinances governing the use of public
parks, may prescribe a system for the issuance of permits for the
use of all Town-owned land used for park purposes, including public
amusements, games, picnics and other purposes to which such areas
might be devoted, and may enter into agreements with nonprofit groups
or agencies for the use and/or improvement of Town property devoted
to park or recreational purposes.
