The Cuba City Council on Nov. 18 approved dismantling the city’s Parks and Recreation Board with a split 3-3 vote, broken by Mayor Kevin Copling in favor. Copling cited an ordinance about Parks Board term limit requirements as his reason for encouraging and supporting the measure.

The tie vote took place when Aldermen Joyce Hartzell, Ray Mortimeyer and Harold Halbert voted in favor of dismantling the board, while Pitts Lesesne, Richard Hewkin and Jeff Bouse voted no.

“I believe if you all have to abide by our city ordinances and policies, then we have to abide by our city ordinances and policies,” Copling said, referencing the reason for his encouragement to remove the Parks Board. 

Ordinance 553 states, in part, that the Park Board or Commission, “Shall consist of nine persons who are to be appointed by the mayor and approved by the majority of the board of aldermen.” 

Additionally, according to the ordinance, “The term of the office of three of the commissioners shall end on the first Monday in May of 1989 and they shall thereafter be appointed to a term of three years.” 

The same language was used for the years 1990 and 1991. The ordinance also noted, “All members, however, shall serve until their successor is duly appointed and qualified.”

Shortly before the Parks Board was removed and a new one was formed, Lesesne of Ward Two weighed in.

“We’ve got a simple fix,” Lesesne said. “You reappoint the same board that’s currently on there.” 

The suggestion was made in light of not knowing what their term limits were and having no record of them. “Since we don’t know what the terms are, reappoint the same board. Everybody’s happy because we have not divided our community,” he noted. 

Faye Howard was reappointed to the Parks Board by Copling, and the two other board appointees, Karen Groom and Beth Kight, are new. 

Copling was asked about the other six members he intends to appoint to the Parks Board and if any of them would be former board members. He said that he is still considering all options, but did not rule out appointments of former board members. 

“Our city ordinance says we have to be compliant, so we dissolved the whole Parks Board,” he said. “What I’m doing now is making appointments with term limits. We have to stagger out terms to make sure everything is right. We just dissolved the tourism board and brought people back, and nobody made a big fuss about it.” 

Dan Eidson was appointed by Copling to the Parks Board a year ago. A month into his term, Eidson was voted in as board secretary.  The now former Parks Board member is critical of the mayor’s push to dissolve the board and start over. Eidson said the now-defunct former Parks Board worked well together and was well-received by the community.

“His solution is to dissolve the board and install a new group disguised as caring adults who are more in line with his wishes. That would be a huge step backwards in the plans to develop our parks with multi-age friendly recreation,” Eidson said. 

Bouse, Alderman Ward Three, also does not agree with the removal of the former Parks Board. 

"This action was a coward's way of dealing with a few people who paddled upstream instead of rowing with the flow,” he said.

The Dec. 2 Cuba City Council meeting has been canceled. The group will meet again on Dec. 16 at City Hall.