19-2868.   Same; powers of board.The board shall have power:

      (a)   To finance, operate, improve and maintain the parks and playgroundsof the district as provided in this act;

      (b)   to accept by gift or devise, to purchase, lease and to condemn realestate for use as parks and playgrounds for the district, and to sell anyimprovements of any real estate so acquired not usable for park purposesor to take down such improvements and use or dispose of the salvage anduse any of the proceeds thereof for park purposes without regard to budgetlimitations. To contract with school boards for joint use and improvementof school lands for park and playground purposes;

      (c)   to improve the parks and playgrounds for the recreation, amusementand enjoyment of the inhabitants of the district;

      (d)   to levy taxes for the acquisition of lands and improvements and operation,improvement and maintenance of the parks and playgrounds as authorized andlimited by this act;

      (e)   to issue bonds of the district for acquiring real estate and the improvementthereof for park and playground purposes upon authorization of the qualifiedelectors of the district by election and within the limitations provided by this act;

      (f)   to appoint park and recreation supervisory personnel and employ suchother employees, servants, police and agents as may be necessary for theproper and adequate operation, improvement and maintenance of the park andrecreation district, and may appoint, employ or retain attorneys, engineers,landscape architects, surveyors and other professional or technical personsor firms for a period or for specified projects and pay the necessary compensationtherefor;

      (g)   to adopt, promulgate and enforce reasonable rules and regulationsfor the operation and use of the parks and playgrounds and the conduct ofpersons using such parks and playgrounds as provided by this act;

      (h)   to sell or salvage equipment found to be worn out or beyond repairor dangerous to use or to trade it in as part payment on new equipment,and the proceeds when respent or the trade-in value shall not be chargedagainst the budget but may be in addition to the amount authorized for expenditureby the budget;

      (i)   to sell and convey real estate acquired by purchase, condemnation,gift or devise when it appears such property is no longer needed forpark, playground or recreational purposes, or is poorly situated for suchpurposes, or is poorly suited for such purposes, with the proceeds of suchsale to be deposited in the land acquisition fund authorized by K.S.A. 19-2873b,and amendments thereto. No such sale shall be made except upon authorizationof the majority of the votes cast by the qualified electors of the districtat an election called and held for such purpose as providedby this act. If the instrument of gift or devise vests fee title in thedistrict or authorizes the district to sell the real property, such propertymay be sold by the procedure herein provided. The board, when in itsjudgment deemed advisable and to the best interests of the district, byproper conveyances, may exchange any tract of land for lands similar in value,or exchange money and land for other land suitable for park or recreationpurposes, or exchange land for land and money totaling the value of theland conveyed, provided that the money involved does not exceed 25% of thetotal value of the land involved, without vote of the qualified electorsof the park district, subject to a public hearing having first been heldwith respect to such proposed exchange of lands, after notice of the time,place and purpose thereof, including a legal description of said lands,published once each week for two consecutive weeks prior thereto, in theofficial county paper, and subject further tofinal approval of such proposed exchange of lands, by the board of countycommissioners of Johnson county, Kansas. The board may by proper conveyanceexchange, transfer, sell, or lease any tract of district land with or withoutimprovements to the state of Kansas, a political subdivision thereof, oran agency of the United States government, if the board determines thatsuch property can properly be maintained and operated as park, playground,or recreational facilities by such governmental agency, or that such propertymay be utilized in whole or part in a contract with said governmental agenciesin, on, or around other property ofsuch governmental units, all or any part of which is located within boundariesof such district;

      (j)   to adopt, change and modify a seal for the district and to use suchseal in attestations by the secretary and in all other cases where a sealis required or advisable;

      (k)   to cooperate with the Kansas department of wildlife and parks andwith Miami county in the operation, improvement andmaintenance of Hillsdale state park and to enforce rules andregulations for the operation of such park land; and

      (l)   to do and perform all other things provided by this act or amendmentsthereto and to have all the powers prescribed by this act, and to carryout and exercise the powers of the district as its governing body.

      History:   L. 1953, ch. 170, § 10; L. 1963, ch. 189, § 1; L. 1969,ch. 158, § 4; L. 1970, ch. 113, § 4; L. 1977, ch. 98, § 4; L. 1983,ch. 101, § 1;L. 1988, ch. 105, § 1; April 28.