State statutes often have a general law to provide for park districts' creation, dissolution, geographic borders, and annexation; the selection of governing boards, often referred to as park boards; and the criteria for levying property taxes on behalf of the district.
Park districts sometimes obtain additional revenue by charging admission fees for some venues and through donations or voluntary memberships in a similar way to not-for-profit organizations; in addition, sometimes a park district is assisted by a private not-for-profit organization set up specifically for the purpose of assisting the local public park system.
Illinois statute provides specifically for an administrative body known as the Chicago Park District, which is under the control of a "chief executive officer" appointed by the mayor of Chicago rather than a publicly elected park board as with other park districts in Illinois.
[1] Numerous cities and suburbs in Illinois have independently-elected park boards, and other regionally-elected bodies exist such as the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and Fox Valley Park District.
[2] Minnesota held a plebiscite in 1883 which created the independently-elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.