EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION OF A PARK DEPARTMENT 541 



a situation that may practically arise in any system where the secretary 

 is not an integral part of the executive organization, whether by order of 

 the board or not. 



5. Sacramento, California, (a) Park Department. (Charter of the 

 City of Sacramento, Article XIV, Sections 137 and 138.) 



(a) The superintendent of parks shall have control (d) To plant and exercise supervision over all shade 

 and management of all land and water parks, parkways, trees, shrubs and plants of all kinds on or in the streets 

 squares and public pleasure grounds, and of the land- and public areas and about the public buildings of the 

 scape of all cemeteries owned or controlled by the city city, except school buildings. 



of Sacramento, and of all grounds surrounding public (^ To make and provide for the enforcement of rules 



buildings of the city with the exception of the school an j regulations as to the use of the parks and other 



grounds, and of properties now or hereafter acquired pleasure grounds and the highways thereof by the public. 



Jt apart for recreational areas and children's play- (/) TQ improve and adom ^ ^^ ^ Q ^ ^^ 



grounds and do all things necessary and proper to 



(b) Shall have power to plan, lay out and locate drive- render them of the utmost value to the public. 



ways and regulate traffic in, and have the care and (g) TQ prepare) in conjunction with the engineering 



improvement (except as to the construction, paving d ep artme nt of the city, the plans and specifications for 



and maintenance of driveways) of all parks and all the erection of a]1 buildings and other structures to be 



parkways owned or controlled by the city, whether erected with ; n the pafks Qr Qn public grounds pertain- 

 ing to park purposes, provided that the preparation of 



(f) Shall have power to make rules and regulations plans and specifications of any such buildings or struc- 



for the conduct of the officers and employees of the tures may, subject to the approval of the city manager, 



department and to prescribe the duties of the same. be assigned to a practicing architect. 



These quotations from the charter of the city of Sacramento are illus- 

 trations of the definitions of the powers and duties of the chief executive 

 officers of a park department operating under the general supervision of 

 the city manager. 



For additional examples of such definition of powers and duties in the 

 organic law of a city, see copies of the charter provisions of the charter of 

 the city of Detroit relating to the commissioner of recreation and the com- 

 missioner of parks and boulevards, Chapter VI, pages 431-433. 



Relation of superintendent to governing authority. The important factor 

 in the relation of the superintendent and the governing authority is for the 

 governing authority to give the superintendent a free hand, within the 

 limits of the policies laid down by the governing authority, to organize 

 and carry on the affairs of the department as long as his efforts produce the 

 results expected by the governing authority and as long as they meet with 

 the general approval of the public. In no other way can a superintendent 

 do his best work. In no other way will a governing authority receive the 

 full benefit of the originality, resourcefulness, initiative, technical knowledge 

 and skill of the superintendent. 



There will be, of course, constant action and interaction between the 

 superintendent and governing authority both as to governmental functions 

 and executive functions. Out of the suggestions of the superintendent will 



