Small Town News

Park board holds first meeting

---

The newly created Shelton Metropolitan Park District Board held its first meeting Monday, before the city commission's regular meeting, at which the board elected a president and clerk.

The board members, city commissioners John Tarrant, Mike Byrne and Dawn Pannell, elected Byrne as park board president and Pannell as board clerk.

The three-member Shelton City Commission is acting as the "ex-offi-cio" park district board. This means that while the city commission is essentially also the park board, they will act as the governing body of an entirely different organization.

The city proposed the creation of a metropolitan parks district last spring because, due to a $700,000 budget shortfall, the city could no longer expend general fund dollars to fund the maintenance of public parks. Voters approved the creation of the park district, and also a 55-cent per $1,000 tax levy to pay for it.

"It always was the intent that the city commission would serve as the park board," Mark Ziegler, Parks and Recreation supervisor, told the Journal.

If the park district is completely contained within the Shelton city limits, it is legal for the city commission to serve as park board, Ziegler said.

Even though the two organizations are actually run by the same three people, the city of Shelton and the Shelton Metropolitan Parks District are legally separate entities.

During park board meetings, Tarrant, Byrne and Pannell are not acting as commissioners; they are acting as park board members. Also, the public can comment on park board issues during any city commission meeting, and their comments will be addressed at the next park board meeting.

The park board adopted the resolution that outlines the organization of their board, as well as an interlocal agreement, which defines the relationship between the city and the park district.

The interlocal agreement stipulates that both the park board and the city commission have to approve any resolution, so essentially each member votes on and signs the resolution twice.

"The City shall operate all parks and recreation programs within the City and the District. The City shall have the sole authority to determine the scope, variety, facilities, and programs for parks and recreation," acr cording to the interlocal agreement.

The interlocal agreement also specifies that through Dec. 31, 2010, the city of Shelton will continue to fund parks and recreation. On Jan. 1, 2011, the park district will begin reimbursing the city.

"Pursuant to RCW 35.61.210 the Park Board hereby creates a fund to finance operations of the Park District, to be called the 'Shelton Metropolitan Park District Fund,' and directs that all tax levies and other funds payable to the Park District shall be deposited to such fund," the agreement states.

The park district will start collecting the tax levy next year.

Shelton voters approved the creation of the Shelton Metropolitan parks board in a special election on April 27, 2010.

On paper, the park board and the city commission are separate entities, but in reality, the city still runs the parks department. If a city has a park district, it by law must have a park board, so the board itself is a formality, Ziegler said.

The next park board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 27, at 1:45 p.m. before the city commission meeting.



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.

More from Shelton-Mason County Journal