N.Y. General Municipal Law § 244-c: Proposition for establishment or maintenance of recreation system

§ 244-c. Proposition for establishment or maintenance of recreation

system. The term "recreation system," as used in this section means

playgrounds and neighborhood recreation centers as referred to in this

article. The local legislative body of a city or the governing body of

any other municipality to which this article is applicable may, and on

the petition signed and acknowledged by qualified electors of such

municipality in number equal to at least five per centum of the total

number of votes cast for governor at the last gubernatorial election in

such municipality shall, submit to the electors at a general election

held in such municipality a proposition for the establishment and

maintenance of a recreation system, if there be no recreation system

therein, or for the maintenance of an existing recreation system in such

municipality. The proposition shall specify the minimum amount which

shall be annually levied and appropriated for maintenance of a

recreation system in such municipality, which shall not exceed an amount

equal to two mills upon every dollar of the assessed valuation of real

and personal property in such municipality on the last preceding

assessment-roll. Such petition shall be filed within sixty days and not

later than thirty days before such election with the officer or board

charged by law with the duty of preparing ballots for such election.

The petition may be made upon separate sheets and the signatures to each

sheet shall be authenticated in the manner provided by section 6-140 of

the election law, for the authentication of nominating petitions. The

several sheets so signed and authenticated, when fastened together and

offered for filing, shall be deemed to constitute one petition. The

proposition shall be in the following form: "Shall the (city, county,

town, that part of a town not included within the boundaries of a

village or village) of (naming it) establish a recreation system and

annually levy and appropriate for the maintenance of such system not

less than ............. dollars?" Or, if such petition be for

maintenance only, the proposition shall be in the following form: "Shall

the (city, county, town, that part of a town not included within the

boundaries of a village or village) of (naming it) annually levy and

appropriate for the maintenance of its recreation system, not less than

............ dollars?" Such proposition shall be submitted, the vote

thereon canvassed and the result declared in the same manner as for

other propositions submitted in such municipality. If a proposition for

the establishment and maintenance of a system be adopted, jurisdiction

and administration thereof shall be vested in such local authority as

shall be determined in accordance with section two hundred forty-two of

this chapter, and all the provisions of this article shall be applicable

thereto. If either of such propositions be adopted, an amount not less

than that specified therein for the maintenance of a recreation system

in such municipality shall be annually levied by the officer, board or

body thereof charged with the duty of levying taxes therein, and shall

be annually appropriated for the maintenance of the recreation system of

such municipality.