The name of this Board shall be the “City of Sioux Falls Park and Recreation Board.”
Article II—Purpose
The purpose of this Board shall be to establish, improve, care for, regulate and manage the system of public parks, zoological parks, parkways, and boulevards and to operate a system of public recreation, playgrounds and children’s parks in and for the city in accordance with the empowering laws of the City of Sioux Falls as set forth in City Ordinance Chapter 27-17 and the laws of the State of South Dakota which are set forth in the South Dakota Compiled Laws at SDCL 9-38-1 et seq.
Article III—Powers
The Board shall have all of those powers and duties, and be subject to the limitations, as are provided by law and as are necessary to carry out its stated purpose. It shall also enjoy those privileges and immunities as are provided for in the laws of the State of South Dakota.
Article IV—Members
Section 1. The Board shall be comprised of seven voting members, each of whom shall be a resident and freeholder of the City of Sioux Falls. Members shall be appointed by the City Council at its first regular meeting in May of each year and shall serve for a term of five years and then until their successors are appointed.
Section 2. Appointments to fill vacancies for unexpired terms shall be made in the same manner as original appointments.
Section 3. The Board may, upon a vote of a quorum of its members, recommend to the Council the removal of any member for malfeasance or nonfeasance of duty. Failure to attend at least 50 percent of the regular meetings in any 12 month period, or failure to attend three consecutive meetings may be considered nonfeasance.
Section 4. All members shall serve without compensation and shall not hold an elective office in the government of the city.
Section 5. Each member of the Board shall upon assuming office receive an orientation regarding, at a minimum, the form of city government, the city’s conflicts of interest ordinance, the state open meeting laws, and the basic rules of parliamentary procedure. Director of Parks and Recreation will request the City Clerk’s Office to conduct Board member orientation on an as needed basis for Board members.
Article V—Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Board shall be a president, a vice-president, and a secretary.
Section 2. The Director of the Parks and Recreation Department shall be the recording secretary of the Board. The recording secretary or his designee shall keep a full and accurate account of all of the meetings of this Board; have charge of the Board’s correspondence and keep files and records thereof; prepare and mail all notices of meetings of the Board; prepare and forward all reports; keep a continuous record of attendance at all meetings; and do and perform such other acts as the Board may from time to time require.
Section 3. The officers shall be elected at the first meeting of the Board in December of each year to serve for a one year term or until their successors are elected. The vice-president shall serve as President in the absence or disability of the President. In case of death or retirement of an officer, a successor shall be elected immediately.
Article VI—Meetings
Section 1. The regular meeting of the Board shall be held on the third Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m., unless otherwise ordered by the Board. Written notice of the time and place of each meeting shall be sent by the Director to Board members and to the City Clerk not less than four days before each meeting.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President of the Board upon written request signed by three members of the Board. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except for emergencies, written notice of the time and place shall be given as set forth in paragraph 1 hereof.
Section 3. Four voting members shall constitute a quorum. The act of a majority of the members shall constitute a duly authorized act of the Board.
Section 4. Voting by proxy or absentee ballot shall not be allowed.
Article VII—Voting
The minutes shall show the vote of each member on every question. Every member present shall vote on every question, unless excused by the Board, or unless the member shall state that he or she has a personal interest which he or she believes sufficient to disqualify the member, which statement shall be made part of the minutes.
Article VIII—Motions and Resolutions
Any proposition requiring a vote may be put orally or in writing in the form in which it will appear in the minutes.
When an appeal is taken from a decision of the Chairperson by any member of the Board, the Chairperson shall surrender the chair, and the Recording Secretary shall put the question thus:
“Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the judgment of the Board?”
and, unless a majority of the members present vote to the negative, the decision of the Chairperson shall stand.
Article IX—Committees
Section 1. Standing committees shall be designated yearly by resolution adopted by the Board during the first regular Board meeting after the election of officers. Except as provided in such resolution, the Board shall approve committee members from the qualified electorate of the city. One Board member shall serve as Chairperson of each standing committee. The Board shall first approve all committee members appointed by the committee Chairperson. Standing committees shall include:
1. Marketing, Benefits, and Public Needs.
2. Park System Planning and Development.
3. Partnerships and Recreation.
Section 2. Special committees may be designated by the Board as the need arises for temporary purposes. The members of the special committees shall be appointed by the Board.
a. Each committee shall include one or more members of the Board, and may include appropriate members from the Departments. Additionally, the committee Chairperson may appoint citizens at large or qualified professionals to serve as voting members of the committee, subject to their approval by the Board.
b. Each member of a committee shall continue as such until the next annual meeting and until his or her successor is appointed. Any vacancy on a committee shall, subject to approval of the Board, be filled by appointment by the committee Chairperson for the remainder of the term. Board members shall not vote on the committees of which they are a member.
c. The committee Chairperson shall call and reside over all meetings of that committee. If the committee Chairperson is absent, the committee members shall elect a temporary committee Chairperson to chair the committee meeting. The committee Chairperson shall, pursuant to its regular agenda, provide written reports of committee meeting proceedings to all Board members.
Article X—Order of Business
The following order of business shall be followed and shall not be dispensed within any regular meeting, except by the vote, without debate, of a majority of the members present:
- Roll call and determination of a quorum.
- Reading, correction, and approval of the minutes of the preceding meeting.
- Public input
- Report of committees.
- Unfinished business.
- New business.
- Report of Director of Parks and Recreation.
- Reading of communications to the Board.
- Open board discussion.
- Adjournment.
Provided further, that at the regular December meeting of each calendar year, the election of officers of the Board shall be the last item under New Business. Those elected will assume office at the first meeting of the next calendar year.
Article XI—Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order-Newly Revised shall govern the Board in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the Board may adopt or any City of Sioux Falls Administrative Regulation.
Article XII—Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting.
It is hereby certified that these Bylaws were adopted by a majority of the Board at a duly constituted meeting held on the 18th day of December, 2007.
