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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County directing all Friends of the Park Councils to suspend all operations and activities From November 1, 2020 through March 7, 2021, pending revision of the Friends of the Park ordinance.
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Whereas, in 2002, a Council of Friends was established in each of the nine County parks, via ordinance 54-02-OR; and
Whereas, 54-02-OR, as amended from time to time, is currently codified at Chapter 215, Article III, §215-9 through §215-14 of the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances; and
Whereas, the nine Councils of Friends are established as purely advisory bodies under the terms of §215-13; and
Whereas, the Council of Friends members are appointed and serve at the sole discretion of Allegheny County Council, pursuant to the terms of §215-11; and
Whereas. while originally envisioned as a means of conveying information relevant to the County Parks between the public, County Council and the Parks Department, changes in information technology and the practices and operations of the various Councils of Friends over the course of the 18 years since they were created have, in the judgment of Council, combined to necessitate revision of the ordinance governing the Councils of Friends in order to ensure their continued utility and viability; and
Whereas, it is the intention of Allegheny County Council to undertake this task by formulating and introducing a new Friends of the Park ordinance no later than January 31, 2021; and
Whereas, it is currently unknown precisely what form the new Friends of the Park ordinance will take, and it is the desire of County Council to prevent any of the Councils of Friends from taking any action(s) that may run contrary to the new ordinance, once introduced and passed; and
The Council of the County of Allegheny therefore hereby moves as follows:
All Friends of the Park Councils established pursuant to the terms of Chapter 215, Article III of the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances are hereby directed to suspend any and all operations from November 1, 2020 through March 7, 2021. For the purposes of this directive, no Council of Friends or any member(s) thereof shall meet as a Council of Friends, withdraw any funds from any bank account utilized by the Council of Friends, post any information to any social media or other public platform relating to a Council of Friends sponsored event or activity or any Council of Friends member(s), conduct any fundraising, improvement, maintenance, or other activities on behalf of a Council of Friends, or in any other fashion authorize or take any action as a member of, on behalf of, or in relation to a Council of Friends.
It is hereby further moved that:
All appointments to the Councils of Friends shall continue for the duration stated in the appointment document throughout the suspension of activities directed herein, provided, however, that any appointee(s) to any Council of Friends acting in violation of the terms of this Motion may be subject to removal at the discretion of the appointing County Council member and/or Allegheny County Council. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to mandate the appointment, reappointment, or continuation of the term of any currently appointed Council of Friends member(s) under the terms of any future amendment to Chapter 215, Article III of the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances.