Small Town News

City commission sets first Metropolitan Park District Board meeting

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Shelton City Commissioners agreed to a sign a resolution Monday that would officially create the Shelton Metropolitan Park District Board and set their first meeting on July 26, at 1:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the start of the city commission's regularly scheduled meeting.

Shelton voters approved the formation of the Shelton Metropolitan Park District by a ballot measure on May 12, which also authorized a property tax levy of 55 cents per thousand dollars to fund the district. The parks board will be the governing body of the parks district.

Mark Ziegler, Parks and Recreation supervisor for the city of Shelton urged commissioners to approve the resolution considering that it specifically called for the first meeting on the following Monday.

"The first potential meeting will be July 26 which is next Monday at 1:45," Ziegler said. "We're quickly approaching that."

The board will consist of the three city commissioners. They will elect from within the commission members a president and a clerk of the parks board.

Before approving the resolution, Commissioner Mike Byrne had a few questions about several sections of the document, including section six, which details the possibility of parks board members receiving compensation.

"The commissioners by this resolution decline to receive such compensation as is mentioned here. Is there an opportunity for future commissioners to look at that if a different set of commissioners may or may not want compensation?" Byrne asked.

The resolution does leave room for future city commissioners to receive additional compensation for their service as parks board members, but Dave O'Leary, Shelton city administrator, clarified the process by which city commissioners can increase their salaries.

"Commissioners are constrained by Washington law about how they can increase their compensation from one year to the next," O'Leary said. "You have to vote for it and then you have to stand for election before you can get it."

Starting next Monday, the parks board will meet 15 minutes before the city commission meetings on t he last Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November.

Commissioners expressed concern about the infrequency of the meetings because, unlike commission meetings, which alternate from afternoon to evening meetings, the parks board will only have afternoon meetings. Commissioners were concerned that this would make it difficult for the public to attend and comment on parks board business.

"The intent of this is to make it as easy on the city commission ... as possible," Ziegler said. "If we can coincide the two meetings, at least close to the same time, it's less effort on the commissioners part, as well as staff."

Citizens can make public comments concerning parks board business during any city commission meeting, Ziegler explained.

"In the agreements, the city is providing parks and recreation ser-vices on behalf of the park district," Ziegler said. "So the public has every opportunity to come to an evening city commission meeting and still make public comments on parks and recreation issues and they can be read into the record at any point."

Commissioners further clarified that the park board will not replace the existing Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.

"The park board is the governing body, the advisory committee is just that, they will make recommendanions, they don't govern the function of the park district," Ziegler said.

The city commission will officially approve this resolution during their meeting at 2 p.m. Monday, however, the park board meeting will still oc-cur as scheduled at 1:45 p.m., Monday.



Copyright 2010 Shelton-Mason County Journal, Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 Shelton-Mason County Journal Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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