ST. PAUL - First reading of a revised Parks and Recreation Board bylaw has been approved by council. The most notable change included in the bylaw is members-at-large can no longer be staff members from either the Town of St. Paul or County of St. Paul
They also cannot be council members of either municipality, according to the amended bylaw.
The role of the board is to act as in an advisory role to council. The board provides recommendations to Town council on any parks and recreation related matter, upon the request of council or the director of Parks and Recreation. The board also acts as an advisory to the director, and offers other input when required.
Discussions on the make-up of the board took place at the Jan. 10 council meeting, when the County of St. Paul put Daniel Reid forward as a member-at-large. While councillors stated they had no personal issues with Reid - who is the Director of Public Works at the County of St. Paul - being on the board, some councillors felt it wasn't appropriate that a manager of one of the municipalities sat as a member-at-large.
The amended bylaw will see an increase to the number of voting members on the board. Previously, there were 10 voting members, and now there will be 11.
Coun. Nathan Taylor said he would be happy with the bylaw stating "management staff" rather than any municipal staff member, and did not see an issue with other staff sitting on the board. In response, CAO Jeffery said he felt that keeping all municipal employees off the board protects both municipalities.
Voting members
The board is made up of two members of Town council who sit on the board, along with two members of County council.
Four members-at-large who are residents of the Town of St. Paul also make up the board, along with two members-at-large who are residents of the County of St. Paul.
The board also includes one member-at-large who is a representative of the St. Paul Agricultural Society.
Four non-voting members are also included in the board: the Town of St. Paul's Director of Parks and Recreation, the County of St. Paul's Director of Community Services, and the two municipalities' CAOs.
When speaking to the CAOs attending board meetings, feelings were mixed regarding the usefulness of having them present. Jeffery noted that in discussions it was noted that having the CAOs attend meetings may stifle some of the conversations that take place.
He noted that CAOs could attend meetings, but more on an as-needed basis, rather than every meeting.
As discussions wrapped up, council opted to include CAOs as non-voting members in the bylaw, but remove the words "or designate" since the CAOs' designates would likely be the other directors already included as non-voting members.
