Parks and Recreation Commission

Meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m.
at the Central Hillside Community Center - 12 E. 4th St.

• Click here for a listing of Commission Members
• Click here for the January 13, 2010 meeting agenda

Meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. at the Central Hillside Community Center - 12 E. 4th St.

• The Parks and Recreation Commission consists of eleven voting and three nonvoting members, who are appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the City Council. Applications are available in the City Clerk's office.
• The voting membership consists of one resident of each of the five council districts in the City, two at-large members, one member with formal education in recreation who is employed in that field, one member who is a member of, or recommended by, the Commission on Disabilities, one member who works with recreation programs and facilities as a staff member in the Community Schools program, and one member with formal education in land management who is employed in that field.
• Each voting member shall be a resident of the City of Duluth, except the recreation and land management professionals, and the community schools representative, may either be residents of the City or work in the City. All appointments of voting members shall be for terms of three years, except such appointments as may be made for the remainder of expired terms or to provide for staggered terms.
• The nonvoting membership shall consist of one Duluth City Council member, one Duluth School Board member, and one St. Louis County Commissioner. Such nonvoting members shall be recommended for appointment by their respective governmental bodies and shall serve for indefinite terms.
• Vacancies caused by resignation or otherwise shall be filled by the Mayor only for the unexpired terms, subject to approval of the City Council, in the same manner as for initial appointments.
• Members shall be eligible for reappointment. The term of any member of the Commission shall be deemed vacant upon failure to attend two consecutive meetings or three meetings in a year unless advance notice is given to the president of the Commission and such nonattendance resulted from justifiable cause.
• The City shall provide one Parks and Recreation staff member and one Public Works staff member to assist the Commission in carrying out its responsibilities.
• Vacancies shall be filled by the Mayor within 30 days after the occurrence of such vacancies. Every appointee, before entering upon the duties of his or her office, shall make and file with the City Clerk an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Minnesota, and to perform faithfully, honestly and impartially the duties of his or her office, as required by Section 28 of the Charter. Any appointee who shall fail or neglect to make or file such oath or affirmation within ten days after notification of appointment shall be deemed to have refused to accept such appointment.
• The Parks and Recreation Commission shall meet and elect a president, a vice president, and a secretary, who may be a member of such Commission. This will be done annually. The Commission may request the Mayor to designate a member of the civil service personnel of the Parks and Recreation Division to serve as secretary of the Commission. Upon receipts of such request, the Mayor shall make such designation.
• All minutes and records of the Commission shall be public records, and copies thereof shall be filed in the office of the City clerk, and shall be open to inspection during the established business hours of the City. The Commission shall file an annual report with the City clerk not later than 30 days following the end of the preceding fiscal year.
• For the conduct of its business, the Parks and Recreation Commission may adopt such rules and regulations as are consistent with this article. The Commission shall hold at least one regular meeting each month, and shall fix the date of such meetings. Special meetings may be called by the president of the Commission and shall be called upon the written request of at least eight voting members of the Commission. All meetings of the Commission shall be public.
• In order to gather public input on current parks and recreation issues in Duluth, the Commission shall conduct a public meeting each year to hear citizen comments on current parks and recreation issues. From this meeting, the Commission shall determine a list of not more than five primary topics or suggestions and the priority of each item on the list. Each topic shall be referred to a committee of the Commission where it shall be studied and discussed at further public meetings. Each committee shall make a final recommendation on each topic studied to the Commission. The Commission shall compile these recommendations in a yearly report to the Mayor and City Council. The Mayor and the City Council shall, as soon as may be reasonably possible or practicable, dispose of such recommendations in such manner and to the extent permissible under the Charter of the City or any applicable statute.
• In conducting such studies, the Parks and Recreation Commission shall be afforded ready access to all pertinent City documents relating to City recreational facilities as now or hereafter to be carried on by the City.