19-2801.   Parks, museums and recreation grounds; maintenance of certaincity, district and township parks; contracts for recreational activities;issuance of bonds; tax levy, use of proceeds; protest petition and election.Any county may establish and maintain public parks, museums andrecreation grounds and make additions to the same within said county ashereinafter provided, including the maintenance of any city, parkdistrict or township park, museum and recreation grounds used generallyby residents of the county under agreements with the governing bodiesthereof, and may contract for services or cooperate with anothergovernmental agency to provide recreational activities, includingprograms for the aging, and may take and acquire title to lands,including any and all rights thereon, for the purpose of establishingthe same by condemnation under the provisions of the general eminentdomain procedure act or by gift, devise, purchase or in any other mannerand may issue general obligation bonds of the county to pay the cost thereofor may make aspecial levy to pay the cost thereof and to pay a portion of the principaland interest on bonds issued under the authority of K.S.A. 12-1774,and amendments thereto, by cities located in the county. Before any suchpublic park,museum or recreation grounds or additions to the same shall be acquiredand established and any bonds issued or tax levy made, a notice of the sameshall be published once each week on thesame day of the week for two consecutive weeks in the official countynewspaper. Such notice shall declare the intention of the governing bodyto establish such public park, museum or recreation grounds or to makean addition to the same, describe the specific property and rights to beacquired and any other pertinent information regarding suchestablishment, state the method of financing to be used and state theestimated cost of the same. If, within sixty (60) days after the lastpublication of said notice, there shall be filed in the office of thecounty clerk, not later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day, a protest signedby qualified electors equal in number to not less than five percent (5%)of the electors who voted for the secretary of state at the lastpreceding general election, an election shall be called and held withinninety (90) days after the last publication of said notice or at thenext general election if held within that time. Such election shall becalled, and held in the manner provided by law for bond elections. If noprotest or no sufficient protest is filed or if an election is held andthe proposition carries by a majority of those voting thereon, thegoverning body may establish the park, museum or recreation grounds ormake additions to the same and may issue bonds to pay the cost thereofor levy a tax to pay thecost thereof and to pay a portion of the principal and interest on bondsissued under the authority of K.S.A. 12-1774, and amendmentsthereto, by cities located in the county all as provided in the notice.No such bonds shall beissued in an amount exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) until thequestion of issuing the same shall have been submitted to and approvedby a majority of the electors voting thereon at an election called andheld for such purpose. Such bonds shall be issued in the manner providedby the general bond law and shall be included within the county's bondedindebtedness limitation.

      History:   L. 1929, ch. 158, § 1; L. 1935, ch. 137, § 1; L.1957, ch. 182, § 1; L. 1965, ch. 173, § 1; L. 1972, ch. 81, § 1; L.1973, ch. 123, § 1; L. 1978, ch. 92, § 2; L. 1979, ch. 52, § 116; July 1.