Public Hearing to be Held on Merging Park Authority with the County Government

?UPDATE: Public hearing scheduled for Board of County Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. ?

During the Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting this afternoon, the Board requested a public hearing to be scheduled to discuss whether the Park Authority should end its corporate existence and merge with the County government. This is in response to the Park Authority Board resolution dated Jan. 25, 2012, requesting the Board of County Supervisors consider this merger. If the merger is to occur, the Park Authority’s existence as a separate corporation will terminate on a specific date, targeted to be June 30, but no later than Dec. 31, 2012.
The Park Authority Board has indicated its support for this merger by recommending the following steps:
1) Create a Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation to provide all services currently being provided by the Prince William County Park Authority;
2) Merge the Park Authority into County government through the following steps:
a. End the separate corporate existence of the Park Authority by amending its Articles of Incorporation to specify that the Park Authority’s term of existence shall end on June 30, 2012;
b. Transform the Park Authority Board into the Prince William County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, effective July 1, 2012;
c. Transfer all probationary and non-probationary persons employed by the Park Authority as of June 30, 2012, below the Executive Director level, to like status in County employment as soon as this may practically be done, while causing the least disruption to operations, after July 1, 2012, with the Executive Director, who is a contract employee of the Park Authority, to be taken into County employment as a probationary employee;
d. Assume ownership of all Park Authority property in the name of the Board of County Supervisors, on behalf of the citizens of the County; and
e. Assume all contractual obligations and all liabilities of the Park Authority in the name of the Board of County Supervisors on or before July 1, 2012.
Staff from the County government and the Park Authority are working together diligently to make recommendations to the Board on the steps necessary to complete the merger and to make sure that there is seamless service to the community.