San Miguel de Allende City Council is preparing regulations for two trustee boards to take charge of Parque Juarez and Parque Zeferino. These groups will operate under certain rules for public spaces, and will have to generate the resources for maintaining those spaces, which means an end to funds provided by local, state, and federal authorities.
The initiative was approved by members of the City Council on May 29. The document, however, needs to be revised by different committees, then approved or rejected by members of the council.
The two boards will comprise seven members, including one alternate for each. Three of the members must be public officials from the Treasury Department, Ecology, and from the Planning Commission. The other four members will be ordinary citizens. Once they are chosen and the rules approved, the results will be published in the Periodico Oficial del Estado (The Official State News).
The citizens must be free of previous criminal charges, not members of the ministry or government officials. They need to create a plan for the operation of the park. It is up to the City Council to choose four of the “best” prospects who would serve for three years.
The document, with four chapters and 18 articles, indicates the rules the trustees will have to follow. Some of these are delineated in Article 6.
- To administer, preserve, watch over, enlarge and permanently improve the patrimony of the Board of Trustees, as well as the goods in their charge.
- Propose, promote, direct, and create events, activities, work and projects directed toward motivating the conservation of the existing environmental infrastructures, culture, sports, recreation, among other activities within the budget.
- Promote and spread the use of the parks, as well as the different activities and use of equipment.
- Establish specific rules for the function and use of the equipment according to the municipal rules and applicable laws.
- Prepare and approve a Plan de Manejo Integral del Parque (Holistic Management Plan for the Park).
- Promote school visits according to the policies and programs approved by the Council.
- Supply. obtain, and emit permits and authorizations, create contracts with all types of judicial acts, emit concession’s permits according to the applicable legislation, and provide all necessary judicial actions for the compliance of those ends.
- Collect income and donations from persons and public or private institutions toward fulfillment of their objectives
- Manage the resources of government and non-governmental entities at the national and international levels toward their objectives
- Order external audits that are deemed necessary
- Fulfill all other duties that may be imposed by the law or the applicable regulations.
