The Town of Winamac is starting the process of appointing members to its new park board. Town Manager Brad Zellers told the town council Monday he’s heard from seven or eight people interested in serving on the board.
The park board will consist of four members, all appointed by the town council. Council members discussed the possibility of appointing Zellers to one of those seats. Town Attorney Justin Schramm recommended that if the council chooses that option, that Zellers be appointed as an individual, not by virtue of his position as town manager.
There’s still a bit of discussion about who would be eligible to serve on the board. Schramm believes residents of the park district can be defined as anyone who pays taxes to the Town of Winamac.
Town officials plan to meet with representatives from Monticello Monday to get some insight on how their park board works. The Winamac Town council will likely discuss the appointment process further during a work session in the coming weeks, but no date was set during Monday’s meeting. Once board members are seated, Schramm plans to meet with them to establish a charter or bylaws.
The town council established the park board last month, with the goal of opening up opportunities for grant funding that aren’t currently available, but some council members have been hesitant about giving up control of the parks.
