Section 243. Recreation commission

1.  If  the  board  of  estimate and
  apportionment, or if there be no such board, the common  council,  board
  of  aldermen,  or corresponding legislative body, or the governing board
  of any such county, town or village shall determine that  the  power  to
  equip,  operate and maintain playgrounds and recreation centers shall be
  exercised by a recreation commission, they may, by resolution, establish
  in such municipality a recreation commission, which  shall  possess  all
  the  powers  and  be  subject  to  all  the  responsibilities  of  local
  authorities under this article.
    2. Such a commission, if established, shall consist of at  least  five
  and  not  more than seven persons who are residents of such municipality
  or of such other municipality or school districts as shall  pursuant  to
  agreement  with such municipality contribute to the expense of operating
  and maintaining any such  playgrounds  and  recreation  centers,  to  be
  appointed  by  the  mayor  of  such  city or the governing board of such
  county, town or village to serve for terms as set forth herein or  until
  their  successors  are  appointed.  The members of such commission first
  appointed shall be appointed  for  such  terms  that  the  term  of  one
  commissioner  shall  expire  annually  thereafter,  and their successors
  shall thereafter be appointed to serve terms of years which shall  total
  in  number  the membership of such commission. When the membership of an
  existing commission is increased from five members to six  or  from  six
  members  to seven, the new member shall be appointed to serve for a term
  of years which shall total in number the increased  membership  of  such
  commission,  and  thereafter  upon  the  expiration  of the term of each
  member, his reappointment or the appointment of his successor  shall  be
  for  a  like  term.  When  the  membership  of an existing commission is
  increased from five members to seven, one of the new  members  shall  be
  appointed  to  serve for a term of six years and the other for a term of
  seven years, and thereafter upon the expiration  of  the  term  of  each
  member,  his  reappointment or the appointment of his successor shall be
  for a term of seven years.
    3. If pursuant to this section a recreation commission be  established
  in  a  city,  the  board  or  body  establishing such commission may, by
  resolution, provide that the president of the park board of  such  city,
  or  an  officer  having  corresponding  functions, shall be ex-officio a
  member of the commission except that in a  city  of  the  second  class,
  located  in  a  county  having a population of not less than two hundred
  thousand nor more than two hundred and fifty  thousand,  the  mayor  may
  appoint  any resident of the city a member of such recreation commission
  in lieu of the above mentioned ex-officio member.
    4. Members of such commission shall serve  without  pay,  except  that
  those  members serving on such a commission in the town of Clarkstown in
  the county of Rockland shall be entitled to  pay  not  to  exceed  three
  thousand  dollars  per member if approved by the town board of such town
  as part of the town  budget.  Vacancies  in  such  commission  occurring
  otherwise than by expiration of term shall be for the unexpired term and
  shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments.