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Township of Lower Mount Bethel, PA
Northampton County
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[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 1]
This Part 4B shall be known as the "Recreation Board Ordinance."
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 2]
This Part 4B is enacted pursuant to the authority conferred by the Second Class Township Code, Act 1995-60 of 1995, November 9, P.L. 350, No. 60, § 1, 53 P.S. § 65101 et seq.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 3]
The membership of the Lower Mount Bethel Township Recreation Board (the "Recreation Board") shall consist of five members. Members shall be appointed by a majority of the Lower Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors. All members shall serve for terms of five years or until their successors are appointed, except that the members shall be appointed for such terms so that the term of not more than one member shall expire annually. The members shall serve voluntarily and without compensation except for reimbursement of properly documented expenses incurred in performing their duties as Recreation Board members. All members shall serve their full terms unless they voluntarily resign or are removed by the Board of Supervisors for dereliction or neglect of duty. Vacancies which occur other than by expiration of term shall be for the unexpired term and shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 4]
1. 
The Recreation Board shall meet once per month on an established day and time to conduct the business of the Recreation Board. Meetings shall be duly advertised in January by the Township Solicitor. The Recreation Board shall notify the Township Solicitor of the date and time of said monthly meetings prior to December 15, to allow sufficient time for advertising of the regular meetings. Special meetings may be conducted upon proper advertisement as required in the Second Class Township Code. Minutes for all meetings shall be taken by the Recreation Board's Secretary and kept with Recreation Board's files. In addition, a copy of said minutes shall be promptly submitted to the Township Secretary for record keeping.
2. 
A quorum of the Recreation Board shall consist of at least three Recreation Board members. Once a quorum is constituted, a simple majority of members is required to approve an item of the Recreation Board's business. If a quorum is not present, no official business can be conducted.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 5]
The Recreation Board shall hold an annual reorganization meeting on the first meeting of the year prior to conducting any business. During the reorganization meeting, the members of the Recreation Board shall appoint a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and a Treasurer. However, one individual may serve as both Secretary and Treasurer. The appointed officers shall serve in their position for a period of one year or until their successors are appointed.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 6]
1. 
The officers of the Recreation Board shall perform the following functions:
A. 
Chairperson. The Chairperson shall preside at meetings of the Recreation Board and shall perform other duties ordinarily performed by that officer.
B. 
Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson shall, in absence of the Chairperson, perform all the duties of the Chairperson.
C. 
Secretary. The Secretary shall keep meeting minutes of Recreation Board meetings, including special meetings, and all Recreation Board committee meetings. The Secretary shall submit a monthly report to the Board of Supervisors before the Supervisors' regular monthly meeting. Said report shall contain any information as may be requested by the Board of Supervisors from time to time and shall contain a summary of the Recreation Board's activities for the period of time covered by the given report including, but not limited to, requests for funding, monies collected and turned over to the Township Secretary, expenses, and reimbursement payments. The Secretary shall submit any required insurance documents to the Township Secretary and ensure that copies of said documents are part of the Recreation Board's files.
D. 
Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of revenues, including, but not limited to, sports participation fees, concession stand fees, and donations. The Treasurer shall immediately deposit all revenues directly into the designated account or remit all revenues to the Township Secretary/Treasurer for deposit into the designated account. The Treasurer shall submit all invoices for payment, including properly documented member reimbursements, to the Township Secretary/Treasurer for the purposes of payment. The Treasurer shall keep a concise accounting of all revenues, expenses and reimbursement payments and said accounting shall be part of the Recreation Board's files.
The officers of the Recreation Board are appointed for the purpose of carrying out specific duties and responsibilities associated with their position. Above and beyond the specific duties appointed to them, the officers hold no more authority than any other member of the Recreation Board.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 7]
1. 
The duties and responsibilities of the Recreation Board shall be as follows:
A. 
Promote clean and safe parks, green spaces, and recreational facilities by recommending rules and regulations to the Board of Supervisors for governance and use of recreational facilities and equipment.
B. 
Promote recreational services and programs for Lower Mount Bethel Township residents regardless of age, income, background and ability.
C. 
Effectively plan for future parks and recreation facilities and programs for Lower Mount Bethel Township residents by continually implementing the goals and objectives outlined in the Lower Mount Bethel Township's Open Space and Recreation Plan.
D. 
Continually strive to promote improved existing facilities while seeking opportunities for future development.
E. 
Uphold all policies of the Lower Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors including, but not limited to, the Criminal Background Check Policy for Youth Coaches. The Recreation Board shall provide a list of coaches to the Township Secretary to ensure that coaches have received final approval from the Township before they engage in coaching activities as required by the Criminal Background Check Policy for Youth Coaches.
F. 
Establish and regulate the youth sports programs of Lower Mount Bethel Township including, but not limited to, basketball, softball, baseball, and soccer. As part of this responsibility, the Recreation Board shall establish participant fees, establish teams, appoint volunteer coaches, appoint league representatives, and establish practice and game schedules.
G. 
Provide recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on future policies, facility and park improvements, and facility use requests. The Recreation Board may not proceed with any improvements to any Township facility without the express authorization of the Board of Supervisors. A representative of the Recreation Board shall attend Township Board of Supervisors meetings as necessary or as requested.
H. 
Explore and recommend grant applications to the Board of Supervisors for the improvement of the facilities and parks of Lower Mount Bethel Township. Members of the Recreation Board may only apply for grant opportunities with the express authorization of the Board of Supervisors.
I. 
Regularly provide updates to the Township office to update the Recreation page of the Township website.
J. 
Monitor the conditions of the recreation facilities and equipment and timely report any issues to the Board of Supervisors and make recommendations concerning recreation facilities. Routine field maintenance such as grass cutting shall be the responsibility of the Township.
K. 
Obtain all necessary permits through county and State agencies, including but not limited to, food licenses for concession stands from the Department of Agriculture. Copies of all permits shall be submitted to the Township Secretary for record keeping copies shall be retained as part of the Recreation Board's files.
L. 
Establish rules and regulations for conducting business of the Recreation Board meetings.
M. 
Stay current with trends in municipal recreation by reading appropriate journals, magazines, etc., and/or attending workshops.
N. 
Develop and sustain positive and cooperative relationships with other Township boards and commissions.
O. 
Develop and sustain mutual and beneficial collaborative relationships with community businesses, organizations, civic groups, school districts, colleges and universities.
P. 
Develop and maintain an ongoing plan to recruit and retain volunteers to help with recreational activities and events.
Q. 
Recommend a fee schedule for the rental of park facilities and recreational programs.
R. 
Submit a suggested annual budget for recreation activities to the Board of Supervisors by September 15, of each year.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 8]
1. 
The Board of Supervisors shall budget money in the general fund on an annual basis for the purpose of funding recreational programs for the residents of Lower Mount Bethel Township.
2. 
The Recreation Board may charge reasonable fees to the participants of the sports programs established by the Recreation Board. The Treasurer shall make a record of such fees and promptly deposit the collected fees into the designated account or submit the collected fees to the Township Secretary for deposit in the designated account.
3. 
All donations and grants collected or obtained by the Recreation Board for the construction of specific recreation projects shall be submitted to the Township Secretary to be deposited into the Capital Reserve Fund and earmarked for the specific project.
4. 
Recreation fees obtained by the Township from land development pursuant to the Township's SALDO provisions shall be used for recreational purposes only.
5. 
Funds in the Capital Reserve Fund may be earmarked for recreational purposes or projects. The Board of Supervisors may seek input from the Recreation Board and/or the Recreation Board may make recommendations as to how the funds should be allocated.
[Ord. 2013-05, 3/4/2013, § 9]
The Recreation Board shall submit an annual report to the Board of Supervisors, including an analysis of the adequacy and effectiveness of community recreation areas, facilities and leadership and a summary expenses and monies collected for the year to date. This annual report shall be submitted to the Board of Supervisors by September 15, of each year.