N.Y. General Municipal Law § 243: Recreation commission

§ 243. Recreation commission. 1. If the board of estimate and

apportionment, or if there be no such board, the common council, board

of aldermen, or corresponding legislative body, or the governing board

of any such county, town or village shall determine that the power to

equip, operate and maintain playgrounds and recreation centers shall be

exercised by a recreation commission, they may, by resolution, establish

in such municipality a recreation commission, which shall possess all

the powers and be subject to all the responsibilities of local

authorities under this article.

2. Such a commission, if established, shall consist of at least five

and not more than seven persons who are residents of such municipality

or of such other municipality or school districts as shall pursuant to

agreement with such municipality contribute to the expense of operating

and maintaining any such playgrounds and recreation centers, to be

appointed by the mayor of such city or the governing board of such

county, town or village to serve for terms as set forth herein or until

their successors are appointed. The members of such commission first

appointed shall be appointed for such terms that the term of one

commissioner shall expire annually thereafter, and their successors

shall thereafter be appointed to serve terms of years which shall total

in number the membership of such commission. When the membership of an

existing commission is increased from five members to six or from six

members to seven, the new member shall be appointed to serve for a term

of years which shall total in number the increased membership of such

commission, and thereafter upon the expiration of the term of each

member, his reappointment or the appointment of his successor shall be

for a like term. When the membership of an existing commission is

increased from five members to seven, one of the new members shall be

appointed to serve for a term of six years and the other for a term of

seven years, and thereafter upon the expiration of the term of each

member, his reappointment or the appointment of his successor shall be

for a term of seven years.

3. If pursuant to this section a recreation commission be established

in a city, the board or body establishing such commission may, by

resolution, provide that the president of the park board of such city,

or an officer having corresponding functions, shall be ex-officio a

member of the commission except that in a city of the second class,

located in a county having a population of not less than two hundred

thousand nor more than two hundred and fifty thousand, the mayor may

appoint any resident of the city a member of such recreation commission

in lieu of the above mentioned ex-officio member.

4. Members of such commission shall serve without pay, except that

those members serving on such a commission in the town of Clarkstown in

the county of Rockland shall be entitled to pay not to exceed three

thousand dollars per member if approved by the town board of such town

as part of the town budget. Vacancies in such commission occurring

otherwise than by expiration of term shall be for the unexpired term and

shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments.