GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF PARKS 



the board, may be one of their own number." Charter the penal sum of one thousand dollars, conditioned for 



of the City of Hartford, Section 2. the faithful discharge of his office." Iowa Laws, Chap- 



"The commissioners shall, within ten days after their ter 293, Section 5789. 



election, qualify by taking the oath of office and organ- "As soon as they are appointed and have qualified, 



ize as a board by the election of one of their number as they shall meet and appoint one of their number 



chairman and one as secretary, but each commissioner, president, another secretary of the board and a third 



before he enters upon the duties of his office, shall give treasurer of the board." Rock Island, Illinois, Revised 



a bond with sureties to be approved by the council, in Ordinances, Chapter 37, part of Section 2. 



In some instances the president of the board is designated by the 

 appointing authority, as in Kansas City, or elected as president where the 

 commissioners are elected by popular vote, as in the Cook County Forest 

 Preserve District (Board of County Supervisors). The general park laws of 

 Iowa specify that the city treasurer shall be treasurer of the board of park 

 commissioners (Iowa Laws, Chapter 293, Section 5790). In the majority of 

 cities under park board or commission the fiscal officer of the city handles 

 the fund. In a few instances the city clerk is required to act as secretary 

 of the park board. 



2. Committee organization. General state enabling acts and city charters 

 or ordinances providing for the creation of park government by a commis- 

 sion do not as a rule specify committee organization. The organization of 

 standing and special committees is deemed an inherent right of such com- 

 missions and is made the subject of rules and regulations or by-laws. 



Standing committee organization is often carried to an unnecessary 

 degree by park commissions with the result that the chief executive officer 

 is needlessly harassed by the interference of committees in executive details. 

 Except in very large park systems there is no particularly good reason why 

 all questions of plans and policies cannot be handled by the commission as 

 a committee of the whole, especially where the commission membership 

 does not exceed seven or nine. Special committees appointed from time to 

 time to make investigation and reports on specific problems may be neces- 

 sary and valuable in a commission of any size. 



3. Adoption of rules for conduct of the affairs of governing authorities. 

 Practically all legal measures setting up park board or commission form of 

 governing gives specific legal authority to the commission to adopt such 

 rules and regulations as are deemed necessary for the proper transaction of 

 their business. The by-laws adopted by some commissions go into great 

 detail as to the organization of the board and department, the duties of 

 various officials and employees and the methods of procedure in the trans- 

 action of affairs of the department. In dependent park districts possessing 

 corporate authority, by-laws are usually enacted in the form of ordinances. 



4. Executive organization. The right to set up an executive organiza- 

 tion for administering the details of the work of the department is exercised 



