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Council member urges review of park and recreation board language after new park investments
Summary
Council Member Lehman asked the Law and Ordinance Committee to revisit the city's park and recreation board ordinance language, citing new investments in a splash pad and inclusive playground and out‑of‑date references in Chapter 153.
Council Member Lehman asked the Fostoria Law and Ordinance Committee on an item concerning the city's park and recreation board ordinance, saying the code appears dated and should be revised now that the city is investing in a splash pad and an inclusive playground.
Lehman said the code is in "Chapter 153" and that some provisions appear to reference a Recreation Department that no longer exists. "Looking at it, it looks like there's a reference to the Recreation Department, which there is none," Lehman said. Lehman recommended drafting obvious, noncontroversial edits and circulating them to the mayor and the safety service director for input.
Why it matters: Committee members said updating the ordinance would help align board composition, appointment procedures and references to city programs with current operations as the city develops new park amenities. Lehman noted the chapter showed an update in 2022 but that additional revisions appear warranted.
Committee discussion and next steps: Committee members agreed the committee could "pick up the really easy stuff," draft cleaned language and then forward it to the city law director for final review. Lehman suggested involving the mayor and the safety service director and any staff the mayor recommends in drafting the revisions. Committee members did not adopt any ordinance language at the meeting; they directed discussion and a draft process instead.
Background details: The ordinance language referenced by Lehman mentions a municipal swimming pool, interviewing and making recommendations to city administration, and a Recreation Department that the committee indicated no longer exists. Lehman explicitly recommended that the committee work on a draft to correct those references and bring it to the law director for legal review.
Ending: Committee members agreed to include affected city administration staff in the drafting process and return a proposed draft for further committee review.
