WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 5348

By Delegates Brooks, Toney, Kirby, Steele, and Maynor

[Introduced January 30, 2024; Referred to the Committee on Government Organization]

A BILL to amend and reenact section two, chapter 136, Acts of the Legislature, regular session, 1982, as last amended and reenacted by section two, chapter 136, Acts of the Legislature, regular session, 1987, relating to renaming the Raleigh County Recreation Authority to the Raleigh County Parks and Recreation Authority.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

RALEIGH COUNTY Parks anD RECREATION AUTHORITY.

§2. Members; appointment; powers and duties generally; officers; bylaws; rules and regulations; compensation.

 The authority shall consist of five or seven members at the discretion of the Raleigh County commission to be appointed by the Raleigh County commission. Such members shall be appointed and such authority shall commence operation on or before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty-four 1984. If the authority consists of seven members, no more than four shall be from the same political party, and if the authority consists of five members then no more than three members shall be from the same political party. One member shall be appointed for a term of five years, one member for a term of four years, one member for a term of three years, one member for a term of two years and one member for a term of one year. The initial terms of office for new appointees shall commence on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty-four 1984. Each successor member shall be appointed for a term of five years, except that any person appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term shall serve only for the unexpired portion thereof. Any member of the authority shall be eligible for reappointment and the county commission may remove any member for cause. There shall be an annual meeting of the authority on the second Monday in July in each year and a monthly meeting on the day in each month which the authority may designate in its bylaws. A special meeting may be called by the president, the secretary or any two members of the authority and shall be held only after all of the members are given notice thereof in writing. At all meetings more than fifty percent of the members shall constitute a quorum and at each annual meeting of the authority it shall elect a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer. The authority shall adopt such bylaws, rules and regulations as are necessary for its own guidance. The authority shall have all the powers necessary, convenient and advisable to effectuate the purposes of this act. In order to keep the peace within the boundaries of the recreational facilities under the authority's supervision and control, the authority is specifically authorized to adopt as its own any rules or regulations promulgated by the West Virginia department of natural resources or the West Virginia department of commerce for the regulation of use of state parks, forests and hunting and fishing areas. Upon adoption of any such rules and regulations by the authority, the same shall have the authority of law and any magistrate within Raleigh County shall have jurisdiction of any violation thereof. Each member of the authority shall be compensated monthly by the county in an amount to be fixed by the county commission. Each member presently holding a position on the board of the Raleigh County recreational authority Parks and Recreation Authority shall keep the same until his term shall normally expire.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to rename the Raleigh County Recreation Authority to the Raleigh County Parks and Recreation Authority.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.