PARKS 



Besides being a guide to the official acts of his board or commission, 

 the secretary's knowledge of the foregoing laws, court decisions and similar 

 matters enables him to prepare the minutes of all meetings of the official 

 body in the light of the legal requirements of various acts. For instance, 

 in the laws establishing some commissions, it is necessary that at least two- 

 thirds of the board members act favorably upon such important questions 

 as the acquisition of lands, the creating of bonded indebtedness or the filling 

 of a vacancy within their own ranks and various other questions. In such 

 cases the secretary must be careful to note that the required number of 

 votes are cast and so recorded in the official minutes of the proceedings 

 that the legality of the action can be readily sustained. 



Again, the laws of certain commissions may require that various actions 

 shall be taken either by the passage of an ordinance or by the passage of 

 proper resolutions. The secretary should be prepared at all times to see 

 that such ordinances and resolutions are ready at the appointed time and 

 that the passage is taken by the proper number of votes and properly 

 recorded. While it is true that these questions border on the legal phase of 

 park questions, yet, in most cases, the attorney is not presumed to be able, 

 offhand, to know all the various provisions of the law relating to this par- 

 ticular department because the attorney quite frequently is a part-time 

 man. He is usually available, it is true, for consultation and legal advice 

 and can ascertain these facts upon research, but the secretary should be 

 prepared with the working knowledge of the provisions of the law so as to 

 guide the deliberations of the governing body in ordinary routine affairs. 



Official proceedings. It should go without saying that the careful record- 

 ing of all official actions of the governing body, be that body an elected or 

 appointed board or commission or an individual manager, is of prime impor- 

 tance. Minutes of official meetings or compilations of official records are 

 the authority for acts of the department; they are the recorded history of 

 the department, the guide posts of future park policies ensuring careful 

 deliberation on all issues and a continuity of purpose in all acts; they record 

 park character even as our daily acts and deliberation form and record our 

 individual characters. Without such records a park department has no 

 traditions, no soul, no fixed purpose or policy, no beneficial public service 

 and usually no park "system." The importance of these records emphasizes 

 the need of them and the care which should be taken in their make-up. 



i. Of metropolitan boards and commissions. The minutes of all meet- 

 ings of the official body should be kept in accordance with Robert's Rules, 

 of Order or such other guide or special rules as are given. How much detail 

 should be recorded is a question that the secretary must decide. While 

 the reporting of much of the discussion and debate gives considerable 



