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6.3. PRSR 03-14-2018 Elk -.- Request for Action River To Item Number Parks and Recreation Commission 6.3 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Discussion March 14,2018 Michael Hecker,Parks and Recreation Director Item Description Reviewed by Parks and Recreation Commission By-laws Cal Portner, City Administrator Reviewed by Action Requested Review and discuss By-Laws for the Parks and Recreation Commission Background/Discussion The Parks and Recreation Commission spent two work sessions in early 2017 to review and update By- Laws. By-laws outline the purpose and function of the Commission. Since we have two new Commissioners, staff thought it might be a good idea to remind everyone of the By-laws. The current By-laws for the Parks and Recreation Commission were approved March 2017. The last time they were approved prior to last year was in 1999. City guidelines recommend that By-laws be reviewed every three years. Financial Impact None Attachments • Current By Laws P D f E D E D D 1 NATURE 1 BY-LAWS OF THE ELK RIVER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ARTICLE I - NAME AND AUTHORITY 1. Name The name of this organization shall be the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission. 2. Authority This commission is established under the authorization of Elk River Code of Ordinances Chapter 2, Article 5, Division 3 Parks and Recreation Commission. ARTICLE II - PURPOSE AND FUNCTION 1. Purpose The Parks and Recreation Commission is a commission established to review and make recommendations to the city council on the development and organization of the city parks and the city recreation programs. The scope of the commission shall consist of advising the city council regarding matters relevant to the park and recreation functions of the city.The commission shall participate in the planning for development and acquisition of park land, including in its definition nature preserves, rain gardens, trails, river corridors and conservation areas, facilities and recreational programs. 2. Function A. The Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission shall hold hearings, solicit public input and recommend to the city council such plans, programs and policies as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of the parks and recreation department. Such powers shall include, but not be limited to, the study of and recommendation to the city council on the following: i. Land acquisition for park and recreation purposes. ii. Plans for major improvements in city parks. iii. Rules and requirements for conduct of and in parks and recreation facilities. iv. Plans and programs relating to the design and programming of city parks and facilities. Page 1 of 7 v. Propose amendments in the recreation section of the city growth management plan. vi. Development of a comprehensive city parks and recreation plan and make recommendations on the implementation of this plan. vii. Assist in the promotion of city parks. viii. Conduct periodic inspections of city parks and review existing situations and make recommendations on improvements of city parks and recreation programs. ix. Discouragement of vandalism in city parks. x. Work with a variety of organizations in ensuring the offering of any appropriate array of recreation opportunities for the youth and adults of the city. xi. Work with the parks superintendent to ensure the proper maintenance and development of city parks and park facilities. xii. Work with the city administrative staff in ensuring that appropriate park properties in the city are obtained by the city during the city development platting process. xiii. Any other plans and programs as may be assigned by the city council from time to time. xiv. Continued vision of growth and improvement to all city parks, athletic fields and trails to ensure our parks and recreation system continues to stay on pace with the growth of the Elk River community and its needs. xv. Strive for a sustainable parks and recreational system. xvi. Develop and/or maintain a management plan for the natural areas within our parks.The focus of the management efforts should be on a functional ecological system which supports biodiversity. xvii. Work with the community to protect our natural resources through collaboration with adjacent landowners. xviii. Work with the community to enhance our parks and recreation system through collaborative efforts such as: financial support, volunteer services, management of adjacent properties and recreational corridors. B. The commission shall not be considered a park board under state law and shall have no powers to acquire or lease land, employ personnel, or enter into contracts or leases, or any similar powers authorized for a park board by state law. C. Commissioners shall be familiar with the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and the city Comprehensive Plan as it relates to parks and recreation. Page 2of7 ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP, COMPENSATION AND TRAINING 1. Membership A. The Commission shall consist of seven members appointed by the city council. An appointment to city residents shall be given preference, but residency by itself shall not be a disqualification for appointment. B. A member of city council shall be a non-voting member of the commission and will act as a liaison between the Parks and Recreation Commission and city council. 2. Compensation Commissioners shall serve without pay but may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred while performing duties as a parks and recreation commissioner. 3. Training Commissioners are encouraged to take training courses offered by the city, state, and other governmental units and agencies, and the city council shall budget for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in training each year. ARTICLE IV-TERMS AND VACANCIES 1. Terms Terms of office are for three years and all terms shall end on the last day of February; however, commissioners shall hold office until their successor has been appointed.The terms of commissioners shall be staggered so that no more than three terms of office expire at one time. 2. Vacancies A. Vacancies shall be filled by the city council for the remainder of the term. B. The chair shall immediately, upon receipt of a resignation or when advised of a vacancy, notify city council. C. Should a resignation be submitted to staff, they will immediately notify the chair and city council. Page 3 of 7 ARTICLE V—OFFICERS AND DUTIES 1. Officers A. Officers of the Parks and Recreation Commission shall consist of a chair,vice- chair and secretary which are voted in by a majority vote at the commission's first regular meeting in March of each year. B. If a vacancy occurs in the chair office, the vice-chair shall assume the chair's duties for the remainder of the year and a new vice-chair shall be elected by the commission at the next scheduled commission meeting. C. A vacancy occurring in the vice-chair or secretary office shall result in an election by the commission at the next scheduled commission meeting. 2. Duties A. Chair i. Preside and preserve order at all meetings of the commission. ii. Calls special meetings of the commission in accordance with the Section 2-235 of the city's Code of Ordinances. iii. Sign documents of the commission. iv. See that all actions of the commission are properly taken. v. Work with city staff to set monthly meeting agendas. vi. Provide orientation to all new commissioners as soon as possible. vii. Perform all other duties and functions assigned by the commission or the city council. viii. Be familiar with Robert's Rules of Order and Minnesota Open Meeting law. B. Vice-Chair i. Assume the duties of the chair in their absence. C. Secretary i. Assume the duties of the chair in the absence of both the chair and vice-chair. ARTICLE VI-ATTENDANCE A commission member shall be expected to maintain a suitable attendance record. Attendance is vital to board service and city council expectations. Because attendance is important, city council has adopted the following attendance policy: Page 4 of 7 Members shall be automatically removed for lack of attendance. Lack of attendance is defined as a failure to attend three(3)meetings or at least two- thirds of the meetings(including regular and special meetings)scheduled during a rolling 12-month period. Participation for less than three-fourths of a meeting shall be the same as a failure to attend a meeting. Members removed pursuant to this paragraph shall not continue to serve on the Parks and Recreation Commission and such removal shall create a vacancy. A member may appeal the termination by requesting a hearing before the City Council within 10 days of notice of termination. A standard commission attendance form shall be used by all commissions for the staff liaison to record attendance. The Office of the City Clerk shall forward the attendance record to the City Council at the end of each June and December for the Council to review. Commissioners shall notify the staff liaison of planned absences 72 hours prior to the meeting missed. ARTICLE VII -QUORUM AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 1. Quorum A quorum shall consist of a majority of the sitting members. 2. Conflict of Interest Commissioners shall comply with the city Conflict of Interest policy. Any commissioner who feels that he or she may appear to have, or in fact has, a conflict of interest on any matter that is on the Parks and Recreation Commission agenda shall voluntarily excuse himself or herself, vacate their seat and refrain from discussing and voting on said item(s). ARTICLE VIII-MEETINGS 1. Regular Meetings Regular meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm at Elk River City Hall unless otherwise posted. 2. Special Meetings Special meetings may be called by the chair as needed. Notice of the time and place of any special meeting shall be communicated to the members and publicly noticed Page 5 of 7 at least three business days prior to the meeting. Special meetings may or may not have actionable items. 3. Work Sessions Work Sessions may be called by the chair as needed and will be before or following a regular meeting. Work sessions do not have actionable items and are open to the public. 4. Public Hearings Public hearings are very infrequent and are posted as part of a regular meeting.They follow specific protocol different than the Open Forum agenda item. 5. Protocol A. All meetings follow Minnesota statutes on open meeting law. B. Robert's Rules of Order, latest revised edition, governs the parliamentary procedure. C. Meetings are open to the public. D. In addition to providing the agenda packet to commissioners, the staff liaison will provide copies of the agenda, minutes from the previous meeting and backup documentation to the city administrator, city clerk, park planner, ice arena manager, parks superintendent and meeting support staff. ARTICLE IX- STAFF SUPPORT 1. Staff Liaison A. A city appointed staff liaison will record attendance and minutes of each meeting and make a permanent file of all minutes which shall be available to the public on the City of Elk River website. B. The staff liaison will provide materials pertinent to a commission meeting in advance of the meeting to allow commissioners time to review and prepare. 2. Videographer A videographer will film the meeting which shall be made available to the public on the City of Elk River website. Page 6 of 7 3. Parks and Recreation Management The Parks and Recreation Director and/or the Recreation Manager will attend the meetings to update the commission on department activities and provide answers to any questions discussed during the meeting. ARTICLE X-AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS 1. Any changes to the Bylaws will be reviewed and approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission and filed with the City Clerk's office. 2. These bylaws shall become effective upon adoption by the Parks and Recreation Commission. 3. These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a majority vote of the membership provided that the amendment(s) has (have) been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting. Adopted on this 9th day of March, 2017. Chair, Dave Anderson Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Page 7 of 7