§ 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.