

GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF PARKS 



461 



following are examples oi 

 funds: 



legal provisions respecting accountability for 



"Said board shall keep and make full detailed records 

 of all sums appropriated for its department by the 

 board of appropriationment and taxation, and of its 

 proceedings, acts and expenditures, and monthly render 

 to the court of common council a detailed statement of 

 its acts and expenditures of public funds during the 

 preceding month, and shall annually render to the 

 said court of common council and to the board of appor- 

 tionment and taxation a detailed statement and report 

 of its proceedings, contracts and expenditures of public 

 funds during the preceding fiscal year, the condition of 

 its department and property in its charge, together with 



an estimate, in detail and under appropriate heads, of 

 its required necessary expenditures from public funds 

 for the ensuing fiscal year." Charter of the City of 

 Meriden, Connecticut, portion of Section 91. 



"They shall make an annual report to the general 

 assembly (of the state) of their proceedings, together 

 with a full statement of their receipts and disburse- 

 ments." Rhode Island Public Laws, Chapter 1466, 

 April 23, 1907. An Act defining the powers and duties 

 of the Metropolitan Park Commission of Providence 

 Plantations. 



2. Purchase of supplies, material, equipment. Many park departments 

 have legal authority to purchase their supplies, materials and equipment 

 directly from commercial or industrial firms subject to certain limitations 

 as to competitive bidding, but with the growing tendency to centralize like 

 functions in municipal governments into a single department or bureau. A 

 very large number of park departments are required by law to makejtheir_ 

 purchases through a centralized municipal purchasing department. 



frovisions flJgardiflg liiftnations on expenditures, see 

 page 462.) The following is an example of legal provision relating to cen- 

 tralized purchasing departments: 



i. "It shall be his (city purchasing agent) duty to 

 purchase, subject to the supervision of the city council 

 or commissioners all materials and supplies of any 

 character whatsoever to be used by the City of San 

 Antonio. All purchases shall be made on competitive, 

 sealed bids, the contracts to be awarded to the lowest 

 bidder, and in all cases where such supplies are not 

 purchased from the lowest bidder, the contract for the 

 purchase thereof shall not be let until the city council 

 or commissioners approve such purchase from such 

 bidder. All competitive bids shall be opened in the 

 presence of the city council or commissioners and there- 

 after shall be filed in the office of the auditor subject to 

 the inspection of anyone desiring to see them. In all 

 cases where bids are not satisfactory it shall be the duty 

 of the purchasing agent to reject said bids and re- 

 advertise for new bids; provided, however, in case of 

 emergency, purchases, not in excess of one hundred 

 dollars, may be made without advertising for bids, but 

 in each case the written consent of the mayor must be 

 obtained. The purchasing agent shall advertise in some 



newspaper published daily in the City of San Antonio 

 for such a period as may be fixed by the city council or 

 commissioners, but which shall not be less than five 

 days. The City of San Antonio shall not be obliged to 

 pay for any materials or supplies not purchased in 

 accordance with the provisions of this section. The 

 purchasing agent shall prescribe requisition blanks for 

 the different departments and requisitions shall be made 

 out and signed in quadruplicate, one copy of which shall 

 remain with the office making such requisition, one to 

 be filed with the city clerk, for the use of the city council 

 or commissioners, and one to be given to the merchant 

 furnishing the supplies, and another to be delivered to 

 the auditor. The purchasing agent shall also prescribe 

 forms showing that the officer or employee making the 

 requisition has received all supplies so requisitioned, or 

 if he has not received them, the reason therefore, and 

 said report shall be made in quadruplicate and dis- 

 tributed as above provided for requisitions." Article 

 III, excerpt from Section 127, charter of the City of 

 San Antonio, Texas. 



In the making of contracts for supplies, material, equipment and labor 

 most park authorities are subject either to specific regulations in the law 

 or charter provisions creating them or to general regulations applicable to 



