Many on the Yorkville City Council want to retain the Park Board rather than have another city committee assume its duties.
The matter was discussed at this week’s City Council meeting.
Ald. Chris Funkhouser suggested at the May 17 City Council Administration Committee meeting that they discuss the idea of dissolving the Park Board in light of the number of meeting cancellations.
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However, Ald. Joel Frieders objected, saying the all-volunteer board has value to the city. He suggested bi-monthly meetings to avoid having to cancel scheduled meetings.
A report said roughly 57 percent of Park Board meetings have been canceled since January 2016, city officials said.
Funkhouser in introducing the proposal said there would be opportunities for Park Board members interested in serving to be on a number of the city’s other citizen-appointed boards.
At this week’s City Council meeting he reiterated his concerns.
“I am not looking to take away anything from volunteers who want to be on boards. I just want to make sure what we are doing is in the best interest of the city as far as efficiencies,” he said.
Funkhouser said in general the Park Board cancellations are due to a lack of a quorum for meetings. He said that it’s disconcerting that the city has to post special meetings.
Frieders is the City Council’s Park Board liaison. Speaking from a prepared statement, Frieders said that while the original idea of wanting to discuss something that looks amiss has merit, he would have preferred the topic of disbanding an appointed volunteer group had been taken up with those involved.
“The topic wouldn’t have turned so confrontational so quickly,” Frieders said.
“It’s important to realize not only the value of inviting and appointing non-elected volunteers to participate in dealings with the city but how that engagement might lead to future leaders running for office,” he said.
Frieders said there are “no complaints about their actual output. We’re just considering disbanding the committee because of the optics of seeing a meeting canceled.”
Frieders said when crucial issues arrived Park Board meetings were held.
“These (Park Board) volunteers are at every event we throw,” he added.
Funkhouser said that “there is no intention to be confrontational with this discussion.”
He said this is one of those times he wanted to bring the matter into the public’s eye and discuss the importance of participation on all boards.
Ald. Ken Koch said he would support bi-monthly meetings for the Park Board. He said that the cancellation of meetings has been mainly due to a lack of agenda items not because people were not showing up.
The Park Board is a volunteer citizen-appointed committee currently comprised of six members, with one vacancy. The group is scheduled to meet the second Thursday of every month.
The city’s park director and Park Board manage the city’s 35 park sites, facilities and programming as well as budgetary and staffing matters.
The duties of the Park Board also include volunteering at events and listening to concerns or issues of residents, as well as the ongoing review of budgets.
There have been 20 Park Board meeting cancellations from January 2016 through 2018. Roughly 43 percent of the regularly scheduled meetings during that time were held, according to city documents.
Mayor Gary Golinski recalled when he was on the Park Board development was at its peak in the city and the meetings went long into the night.
“We had two, three developers a night back then. Hopefully it gets that busy again,” he said.
Golinski praised Yorkville Parks and Recreation Director Tim Evans for his work, and said there is no point in having a meeting if there are not items on the agenda.
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Park Board members participated in the discussion this week as well.
Park Board member Amy Cesich said they would be supportive of bi-monthly meetings as long as things remain relatively quiet.
“It’s always good to discuss these things,” she said. “We do volunteer and the Park Board is important to us.”