The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-27
MAY ASK FOR
PARK BOARD
Payne Law Provides for Pc
tltion by the Voters.
REFERENDUM APPLIES
Voters must Pass on Estab-
= =" fishing Such a Board.
Some Difficulties Have Arisen In
Connection With the Operation of
the Payne Law for Time.

-
When the Payne law, making many
changes in the municipal government,
becomes effective which Will be in
August, and the boards of public safe
ty and service will be eliminated, a
movement win be started among adj
vocates of city parks and Fairgrounds
for board of park commissioners to
nave control of the parks, such as is
now exercised by the service board
A law passed by the last legislature
makes it possible for five per cent OF
the electors of any city to petition
the board of ELECTIONS for an oppor-
tunity to place the question before
the voters of the city. The election
board must do so at the following
general election and II q majority Of
the electors voting at the election
shall cast their ballots in favor of
the naming OF the board of park COM
mssioners, the mayor shall appoint
three electors to serve in such capac-
ity without pay. The appointments
must be for one, two and three years
and their successors shall be alter
ward appointed for three years. In
case of vacancy either by death or
removal, the appointment shall be
made to fill the uneXpired term. The
mayor with the consent of the coun-
Gil may remove any member of the
commission for cause. The law pro-
vides that the park board must or
ganize with a president, and vice
president, who must be members and
provides that clerks and employees
may be employed The board may
make its own rules but all meetings
must be pnblic and the yea and nay
votes recorded. The disbursement OF
the park monies appropriated by the
council, aer in charge of the board
but all must he paid out by the city
treasurer on warrant of the city au-
ditor and signed by the officers of
the board
The law gives the board direct con-
troll of the parks, public Fairgrounds,
boulevards. public baths, etc, and
the maintenance and Improvement of
the parks are also under it's control.
In the matter of letting contracts
for park work the board has the
same privileges as has the board OF
public service at the present time,
In the event OF bond issue being
necessary the park board may request
council, arc in charge of the board
ell refuses the election board may he
appealed ITO and the matter placed
before the electors OF the city at a
general election.
AS Marion has three dne parks al
the present time and IL is expected
that the city will soon be in con
dition financially 10 improve the
public places, il is deemed advisable
TO have three prominent local men
imbued with enough public spirit tc
look after the public Fairgrounds
and to take care of the best interests
of the city in this respect.
There is some difficulty about put.
ting the Payne law into effect In
August as the members of the service
board have been elected to serve un,
VI JduudTS anu IL 10 VoulohuVu Iud
a man cannot be legislated out o
Office before his term has expired
II may be that the present board o
public service will continue until Jan
uary I, and having charge Of thu
parks until that time 1t will be un
necessary TO have park commission
But after that time, many believe /
advisable to give the voters a chanc,
10 decide the question 1t is argue'
that the appointment of II park boar'
would mean no more expense for tn,
parks than formerly but a better an'
more satisfactory method of hand
ling the PARKS and the park funds.