Talks are still ongoing at the Bingham Township offices regarding a parks and recreation bylaws policy update.
As at the last township board meeting in November, the main sticking point was still whether committee members and the township’s “parks stewards” can confront people for breaking park rules.
While everyone involved seems to agree that committee members and stewards should not present themselves as township staff charged with enforcing park rules –— they aren’t employees, and don’t have that authority — there’s some friction on whether they can confront parks users themselves if an infraction affects them directly, and they present themselves as just private citizens.
As an example, if the board allowed stewards to act in their capacity as township residents and someone was detonating fireworks in a township park and damaging their private property, they can ask them to stop. Township trustee and parks committee representative Todd Stone said that another committee member insists he’s entitled to take similar actions as a form of exercising his free speech.
However, treasurer Sandra Grant was concerned that stewards are involved with the parks committee whether they identify themselves as committee members or not, so it may be a moot point from a legal standpoint. The reason that the parks committee is revising their bylaws in the first place is because the township could be held liable if a confrontation between a steward and a parks user escalated.
Township supervisor Midge Werner said at the regular monthly Bingham Township Board meeting Monday that she still needs to talk to the township’s legal counsel to determine the best way to approach these situations in the bylaws.
Also related to township parks, the board reviewed a draft policy on gifts and donations to the township parks. Stone said the committee does not currently have such a policy in place, but they recognize the need for one after receiving a donation from the Barton and Gail Ingraham Foundation and an offer to donate a bench memorializing a township resident.
The township board recommended that the parks committee add language stating that gifts will be accepted “at the board’s discretion,” that the costs associated with the purchase and donation be covered by the donor, and a “sunset clause” allowing the removal of items from parks that have aged or weathered out of use. The committee will revise the policy and it will be considered again next month.
Furthermore, the township board reviewed a draft of the park committee’s five-year plan and approved the purchase of two tables and a grill for Boughey Park in an amount not-to-exceed $2,900.
In other business, the township board set their meeting schedule for next year. As in 2023, meetings will be held at the Bingham Township Hall at 7 p.m. on the third Mondays of the month, except for the annual meeting in June, which will be held at 5:30 p.m.
11-25-21
