City Parks
The City of Three Forks is home to seven parks, covering just over 9-acres. These parks offer a wide variety of recreational and outdoor opportunities. All are easily accessible via foot traffic along city streets, or you can walk or ride a bike along the Headwaters Trial System to access the furthest parks.
“Parks” are defined in the simplest term we could: a park, playground, recreational facility, pond areas, or any other area in the city, developed or undeveloped, owned or used by the city, and devoted to active or passive recreation.
The City maintains the public parks by irrigating, mowing, trimming trees and bushes, spraying for weeds and insects in both the trees and grass, and replacing trees and playground equipment as needed. This costs the taxpayers an average of $50,000 each year. To protect the citizens’ investment in parks the City established a reservation fee in order to preserve some of the park assets. Reservations which are required are listed below in the specific park’s description. The City’s Policy when one reserves use, it to ensure that use is not encroached upon by others. However, the City cannot prohibit anyone else from using the remaining areas of the park during a reserved time. For example, if you reserve the gazebo at Stevenson’s Park we will ensure it is cleaned up and ready for your use, but others could be playing basketball or throwing a Frisbee in the remaining areas of the park.
Recording in Public Places Policy
All city parks are public property, owned by the citizens of Three Forks. In an effort to thwart increased vandalism in the city’s parks, the city purchased cameras that record.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to address the parameters of how the City of Three Forks will record in public places, including storage and access of data, and record retention.
INTENT
The City of Three Forks has had many cases of vandalism of its publicly owned properties. In an effort to deter this activity, and to help law enforcement if needed, the City intends to follow the rules outlined in this policy if it installs cameras (which may be one of, or both, audio and video records) in any public place.
AUDIO RECORDING
Most public meetings of the City Council and boards acting on behalf of the City, are audio recorded. At the beginning of the meeting, the Chairperson will announce to all those present that the meeting is being recorded via whichever method is taking place. For example, City Council meetings are audio and video recorded, often with the virtual video meeting software also streaming to the City’s Facebook page. In this example, the Mayor announces the statement on the agenda that “REMINDER TO ALL THE MEETING IS AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDED (and may be streamed to the City’s Facebook page)”. Similarly stated announcements should be added to every board’s agenda.
VIDEO RECORDING
1. Prior to the City video recording in any public place, the City will post a sign in a conspicuous location within the vicinity of the area being recorded which notify the public of the same.
2. Data from the recording device will be stored on a memory card within the camera if wireless. If the camera is hardwired, data will be stored on the computer server for that building.
3. Data will be kept for one (1) month, or thirty-one (31) days before being overwritten.
4. The staff who may access stored data are: the Mayor, the Library Director, the Public Works Director, the City Clerk and City Treasurer. Contracted Gallatin County Sheriff Office deputies may also access stored data as needed.
EMPLOYEES UNDER CAMERA SURVEILLANCE
City of Three Forks employees who are working in an area being recorded will be personally informed, not just aware because of a posted sign. Employees must sign an acknowledgement that they will be working under camera surveillance, which will be filed in the Employee’s Personnel File.
