Chapter 9 - Fairgrounds, Airports, Parks, Pleasure Grounds And Recreational Systems
CHAPTER 9 - FAIRGROUNDS, AIRPORTS, PARKS, PLEASURE GROUNDS ANDRECREATIONAL SYSTEMS
ARTICLE 1 - GENERALLY
18-9-101. Authority of board of commissioners to acquire property,appoint board of trustees; purposes and uses; authority to levy taxes, issuebonds or incur indebtedness; county fair fund.
(a) Each board of county commissioners may:
(i) Acquire lands and other property for fairgrounds, airports,parks and pleasure grounds;
(ii) Construct, maintain and operate a public auditorium,athletic fields, civic center or other community building, which may bedesignated as a memorial to the war veterans of the United States of America;
(iii) Appoint a board of trustees to control, maintain and managethe fairgrounds, airports, parks and pleasure grounds and to conductagricultural, industrial and other fairs and exhibitions;
(iv) Levy taxes, issue bonds or incur indebtedness as thenauthorized by law for other county purposes. The taxes shall be levied andcollected as are other county taxes and the taxes collected, together withother monies received shall be expended as authorized under this section.Monies in the fund shall be expended only by the board of trustees;
(v) Perform such other acts necessary to carry out theprovisions of this section.
18-9-102. Board of trustees.
(a) The board of trustees provided by W.S. 18-9-101(a)(iii)shall be composed of not less than five (5) nor more than nine (9) competent citizensof the county appointed by the board of county commissioners. Trustees shallserve five (5) year terms which shall be staggered. The board of countycommissioners shall annually appoint a successor to the trustee whose termexpires. The term of each succeeding trustee shall commence on the firstMonday in January next following the date of his appointment. A trustee may beappointed for successive terms.
(b) As soon as the original board has been appointed they shallorganize by electing a chairman, secretary and treasurer of the board. As soonas they organize they shall file without fee a certificate showing theirorganization with the county clerk and the secretary of state. Upon filing thecertificate the board of trustees is a body corporate, empowered to sue and besued under the name of "Board of Trustees of .... County".
(c) No member of the board of trustees shall be personallyliable for any action or procedure of the board. The board has perpetualexistence and it is not necessary to file any certificate other than that filedupon the original organization.
(d) Each year when a new member of the board is appointed thetrustees shall meet and again organize by electing a chairman, secretary andtreasurer. Each member of the board shall serve without compensation and theboard treasurer shall give bond in such amount and such securities as approvedby the county commissioners conditioned upon the faithful performance of hisduties and the accounting for all board monies. The board may pay the secretarysuch compensation as proper for secretarial, accounting and other servicesrequired of him apart from his duties as a member of the board.
(e) Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 201, 2.
(f) If a county is without title to sufficient land it mayacquire such lands as deemed necessary by gift, purchase or condemnation underthe right of eminent domain.
(g) Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 201, 2.
18-9-103. Authority to establish sinking fund; sources of revenue.
Eachboard of county commissioners may establish a sinking fund of a certain amountto be raised within a certain number of years for erecting or constructingimprovements, equipping improvements already erected on a county fairgrounds orfor purchasing land for a county fair. The fund is to be created and added tofrom taxation or from unexpended monies in the county.
ARTICLE 2 - PUBLIC RECREATION AND PLAYGROUNDS
18-9-201. Recreational facilities and systems of public recreation;authority to establish and maintain; joint action by political subdivision; taxlevies.
(a) The governing body of any city, town, county or schooldistrict either independently or jointly through any combination thereof, mayestablish a system of public recreation as provided by W.S. 18-9-101(a)(i) through(iii) and, if it does so, shall appoint a board of trustees to control,maintain and supervise the properties. In administering properties under thissection, the board may:
(i) Adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the governanceand the preservation of property within the area. All rules and regulationsadopted shall be promulgated as provided by the Wyoming AdministrativeProcedure Act and shall be available for inspection in the office of the boardof county commissioners. Any person violating any rule or regulation adoptedunder this paragraph is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of notmore than one hundred dollars ($100.00), imprisonment for not more than thirty(30) days, or both;
(ii) Acquire, equip and maintain land, buildings or otherrecreational facilities;
(iii) Employ trained supervisors and directors of recreation;
(iv) Accept gifts, bequests and federal aids-in-grant for thebenefit of the recreational service;
(v) Allocate money and expend funds allocated for recreationalpurposes.
(b) The board of county commissioners may levy and expend fundsfor recreational purposes. Any levy imposed by a school district forrecreational facilities and systems of public recreation shall not exceed one(1) mill on the assessed valuation of a school district. A levy forrecreational facilities and systems of public recreation imposed by a schooldistrict is in addition to the tax limitations stated in W.S. 21-13-102.
18-9-202. Recreation board of trustees.
(a) The board of trustees appointed under W.S. 18-9-201(a)shall be comprised of not fewer than five (5) members appointed in accordancewith and serving staggered terms in the same manner as specified under W.S.18-9-102(a). If the public recreation system is established jointly, themembership shall be not fewer than five (5) members appointed in accordancewith the joint agreement and each participating governing body shall have atleast one (1) member on the board. Any board appointed under this article is abody corporate. Liability of board members shall be governed by W.S. 1-23-107.
(b) The recreation board shall manage, operate and regulate therecreational systems and may take any steps necessary to insure the safe,economical and enjoyable operation of the system.
(c) The recreation board may accept and use any gift, donation,bequest, devise or contribution of money or property. Any monies accruing froma tax levy or appropriation made by the governing bodies involved in therecreational system shall be credited to the board and may be expended by themfor the maintenance, improvement, development, operation, management andconduct of the system, and the erection and repair of the physical propertiesunder its control. All payments made shall be with the approval of the boardand upon the signature of the treasurer.
(d) The recreation board shall elect from among its members apresident, secretary and a treasurer. The members of the board shall servewithout compensation except the board may allow reasonable compensation to thesecretary for secretarial or other services required of him. The treasurershall give bond in such amount and with securities approved by the governingbodies involved, conditioned upon the faithful performance of his duties andthe full accounting of monies received by him.