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AN ORDINANCE establishing the King County active sports and youth recreation commission; and adding a new chapter to K.C.C. Title 2.
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PREAMBLE:
King County manages a large and diverse system of parks, recreation facilities, open space and paved regional trails on nearly twenty thousand acres of land.
Throughout King County, dozens of cities, school districts, and private associations join with the King County parks department to provide sports and recreation opportunities to the roughly four hundred two thousand youths living in King County. The King County executive and the King County council recognize the need for King County to establish a commission to advise the county on ways to promote, provide and enhance opportunities for adult and youth recreation, active sports and community playfields.
The King County Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan, adopted in 1996, supports establishment of an active sports and youth recreation commission, recognizing the regional need to "provide park programs and activities consistent with the urban level of service by developing partnerships and coordinating with cities, school districts, and community groups to help meet program demands."
Further, the plan recommends that King County "work with cities, communities and other providers to maximize program offerings and services to provide a variety of local recreation programs that respond to the interests of the communities."
Recreation professionals, youth sports league leaders, and community leaders throughout King County recognize the role sports play in providing positive development opportunities for young people. They also recognize the lack of basic research on the sports and recreational needs of youth, and the lack of a countywide strategy to meet that need.
King County recognizes that meeting the recreational needs of its youth requires an understanding of the recreational needs of adults, and that planning future recreation facilities should incorporate the needs of all park user groups throughout King County.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Sections 2 through 6 of this ordinance should constitute a new chapter in K.C.C. Title 2.
SECTION 2. Establishment. The King County active sports and youth recreation commission is hereby established and shall be referred to as "the commission" throughout this chapter.
SECTION 3. Purpose. The purpose of the commission is to develop a regional perspective to address the needs of active sports and youth recreation in King County, and to advise the county in its efforts to encourage recreational opportunities throughout King County. The commission should also apply its efforts to understand and coordinate the unique recreational needs of all age groups throughout King County.
SECTION 4. Membership - terms and nonvoting ex officio members.
A. The commission must consist of nineteen voting members and shall consist of one member nominated by each councilmember. Councilmembers must provide the executive with a recommendation to represent their council district. If the executive does not appoint a person that has been recommended by the councilmember, the executive must request that the councilmember nominate another candidate for appointment. Six members of the commission shall be appointed by the executive.
B. In making appointments to the commission, an effort should be made to assure that the following categories of recreation are considered: field sports, court sports, aquatic recreation, hobby groups, specialized recreation for persons with disabilities and any other sport which requires facilities or fields. Additionally, one or more representatives of local youth groups should be included on the commission membership. Councilmembers may recommend candidates for appointment who are under the age of eighteen. Commission membership shall be monitored by the director of the department of parks and recreation and the director shall provide councilmembers with recommendations on which recreation categories are not represented on the commission and which categories should receive priority consideration for appointment. The directors of the King County department of parks and recreation, and the office of regional policy and planning, a representative from a local law enforcement agency, and a representative of King County council's natural resources, parks and open space committee may serve as nonvoting ex officio members of the commission.
C. All appointees should have a working knowledge of parks and recreation, a strong commitment to promote recreation in King County, the ability to work with differing viewpoints to find solutions to complex problems and a willingness to commit the time necessary to attend commission meetings and activities.
SECTION 5. Responsibilities.
A. The commission shall develop recommendations and advise the King County executive and the King County council on:
1. Ways to maintain and enhance interjurisdictional relations;
2. Ways to create ongoing partnerships with local parks and recreation departments, school districts and nonprofit groups to maximize use of recreation facilities;
3. Long-range planning to anticipate demand for programs, facilities and services;
4. Propose possible new properties and facilities to meet regional sports needs, and identify funding sources for the acquisition of those facilities;
5. Growth management policies which enhance recreational programs or facilities; and
6. Making improvements to existing facilities and exploring the use of public-private partnerships for maintenance of these facilities.
B. The commission shall issue a status report to the council by May 1 every two years, beginning May 1, 2001, to provide preliminary information on King County's current state of recreation opportunities available for youth. This biennial "state of youth sports" report shall include information on: the demographics of young people in King County; percentages involved in organized sports leagues including, but not limited to, soccer, baseball, softball and basketball; the proximity and availability of fields and courts for youth for both organized and unorganized activities; and information correlating the availability or lack of recreational activities to involvement in the criminal justice system.
SECTION 6. Staffing, rules and procedures. The director of the King County department of parks and recreation is responsible for the staffing and operation of the commission. Before undertaking its other responsibilities, the commission shall elect officers and adopt administrative procedures. Any policy recommendations issued by the commission that require council approval shall be jointly referred to the regional policy committee and the natural resources, parks and open space committee for review and consideration. Proposals shall first be considered by the regional policy committee, followed by the natural resources, parks and open space committee.
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