The future of the Culver Park Board may be in jeopardy following a proposal by the Town Council, last week.
A public hearing has been scheduled for April 14th to consider the measure which will both rescind the ordinance establishing an independent park board, and placing it under the purview of the Town Council.
Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist says it’s difficult to pinpoint, but there are a few reasons behind the proposal.
“A lot of small things probably adding up into that decision,” says Leist. “Everything from being a small town where we have difficulty filling some of our appointments and those kind of issues that we were looking at with the park board.”
The suggestion was made at the previous Culver Town Council meeting. An ordinance is now being constructed by the Town Attorney in preparation for April 14th’s public hearing. Leist says there may still be an advisory board overseeing operations.
The Park Board is experiencing similar difficulty to the Town’s former set-up for its EMS Department. Steps were taken last year to improve turnover rates, increase performance, and provide better oversight. So far, the Town believes those changes are working.
The Town of Culver must first figure budgetary contributions from Union Township into the ordinance. Leist says he doesn’t anticipate any other major changes to the department.
“The big difference would be that there wouldn’t be an independent park board that submits a budget to Town Council, it would just be a park superintendent doing most of that work,” says Leist.
Leist says it depends on the vote on first reading, but the matter could be resolved relatively quickly.
