Parks and Recreation Board Finance Committee Meeting - Special called meeting will be held at the Britton, Durst, Howard and Spence Building located at 1183 Chestnut Ave, Austin, TX 78702
PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD FINANCIAL COMMITTEE MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 – 12:00PM BRITTON, DURST, HOWARD AND SPENCE BUILDING 1183 CHESTNUT AVENUE, AUSTIN, TX 78702 COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Sarah Faust (D-5), Chair Richard DePalma (Mayor) Lisa Hugman (D-6) CALL TO ORDER Kimberly Taylor (D-8) VACANT Dawn Lewis (D-10), Ex-Officio AGENDA CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers who register to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Financial Committee special meeting of August 18, 2021. B. NEW BUSINESS: PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS 1. Discussion and possible action on Park Districts and Park Fees in follow up from August 18, 2021 presentation. 2. Discussion and possible action on a recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Board regarding Hotel Occupancy Tax. 3. Presentation, discussion and possible action on Parks and Recreation Department Strategic Planning Follow Up Audit by City of Austin Office of the City Auditor. Presenter(s): Vanorda Richardson, Financial Manager III and Iliyas Vohra, Accounting Manager, Parks and Recreation Department C. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable Page 1 of 2 modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Sammi Curless, with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, at 512-974- 6716, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Parks and Recreation Board, please contact Sammi Curless at sammi.curless@austintexas.gov or by phone at 512-974- 6716. Page 2 of 2
PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD FINANCIAL COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021 – 3:00PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING MINUTES The Financial Committee convened in a special meeting on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 via videoconference in Austin, Texas. Chair Faust called the meeting to order at 3:03pm. Committee Members in Attendance: Chair Sarah Faust, Richard DePalma, Kimberly Taylor and Laura Cottam Sajbel Committee Members Absent: Dawn Lewis, Ex Officio Staff in Attendance: Kimberly McNeeley, Suzanne Piper, Anthony Segura, Vanorda Richardson, Nicholas Johnson, Ed Morris, Steven Linnett and Sammi Curless. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No registered speakers. A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the special called meeting of June 17, 2021 were approved on Committee Member Taylor motion, Committee Member DePalma second on a 4-0 vote with one vacancy. B. NEW BUSINESS: PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS 1. Presentation and discussion of park maintenance and park district fees as possible alternative funding mechanisms. Nicholas Johnson, Edward Morris, Vanorda Richardson and Anthony Segura from the Parks and Recreation Department made a presentation and answered questions from the Committee. Discussion ensued but no action was taken on this item. 2. Discussion of Parks and Recreation Department Fiscal Year 2021 revenue activity summary memo. Vanorda Richardson from the Parks and Recreation Department reviewed the summary Page 1 of 2 memo and answered questions from the Committee. No action was taken on this item. 3. Discussion of Fiscal Year 2022 budget process. Suzanne Piper of the Parks and Recreation Department reviewed the draft approved budget. No action was taken on this item. C. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Tourism Commission recommendation Chair Faust adjourned the meeting at 4:45pm. Page 2 of 2
Austin Parks and Recreation Department Financial Services Division August 18, 2021 1 PARK MAINTENANCE FEE The purpose of a park maintenance fee would be to provide for the operation and maintenance of the parks and facilities within the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department. A parks maintenance fee would be paid by the responsible part for each developed property within the corporate limits of the city. Collection of the fee would be made by a monthly charge included on the City Utility Bill. Fees collected would be deposited into a City special revenue park fee account. *Source Central Point Oregon Parks & Rec Ordinance 2 PARK MAINTENANCE FEE OPTIONS MODELS Option One – Fixed Monthly Fee, similar to the Clean Community Fee Possible charge of $8.95/residents and $20.75/commercial per month Option Two – Dwelling Type Allocation, similar to the Transportation User Fee Possible charge of about $12.79/residents and $63.99/commercial per acre per month 3 CITIES WITH PARK MAINTENANCE FEES Population Served* Number of Homes Monthly Fee Estimated Annual Collection Type Canby, Oregon 18,000 6,600$5 per dwelling $396,000 Central Point, Oregon Longmont, Colorado Rocklin, California San Antonio, Texas 18,000 7,000$3 per dwelling $252,000 95,000 36,800$2 per dwelling $883,200 65,000 23,146$10-30 per dwelling $8,332,560 1,530,000 550,000$1.50 per dwelling $9,900,000 Austin, Texas 950,807 415,000$8.95 per dwelling $44,820,000 Austin, Texas 950,807 415,000$11-13 per dwelling $63,700,000 Monthly Fixed Fee Monthly Fixed Fee Monthly Fixed Fee Based on Dwelling type Monthly Fixed Fee Monthly Fixed Fee Based on Dwelling type 4 PARK DISTRICT A Park District is a form of local special- purpose district for providing public parks and recreation in or near its geographic boundaries. Some park districts also own or maintain related cultural facilities such as monuments, zoos, sports venues, music venues, or museums. The Park District would be separate from the General Fund Park Districts allow taxes to be levied separate from the traditional city property taxes Admission and registration fees would supplement the Park District 5 PARK DISTRICT MODELS Model #1: Independent governance Stand-alone government entity separate from COA Dissolve current structure of board and PARD leadership structure Board of Commissions/Chief Operating Officer/Personnel Board Workforce: District hired vs. COA Park District fee could be used to create expanded programming including concession programming, sponsorship, advertising & promotion programming Model #2: Under City umbrella …
PARKS AND ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS May 10, 2021 PARKS AND ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS 1 | Page Table of Contents Introduction A. Directive from Tourism Commission B. Overview of Working Group Process and Recommendations C. Overview Description of Proposed Projects, Activities and Programs to Benefit Parks and Environment Under Chapter 351 Environment Under Chapter 334 D. Overview Description of Proposed Projects, Activities and Programs to Benefit Parks and Exhibit A - Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Eligible Projects, Activities And Programs That Can Benefit Parks And Environment I. PARKS AND ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS 2 | Page I. Introduction This document provides recommendations from the Parks and Environment Working Group to identify Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) eligible projects, activities, and programs that can benefit parks and environment in our community. A. Directive from Tourism Commission On February 20, 2020, the Tourism Commission appointed the Parks and Environment Working Group look into (1) Chapter 351 funding options for using hotel occupancy tax funds to benefit parks and/or environment, (2) Chapter 334 funding options for using hotel occupancy tax funds to benefit parks/environment, (3) park amenities to leverage tourism funding for park- specific projects, and (4) Palm Park HOT funding options. The appointed members of the Parks and Environment Working Group include Commissioners Bunch, Cannatti, Fuentes, and Joslove, and also include community/stakeholder representatives Ladye Anne Wofford (Austin Parks Foundation), Clark Hancock (Save Barton Creek Association), Dan Eck (Hill Country Conservancy) Angela Richter (Save Barton Creek Association), Heath Riddles-Sanchez (Pease Park Conservancy), Adrienne Longenecker (Colorado River Alliance), Molly Alexander (Downtown Austin), Ted Siff, (Shoal Creek Conservancy), Heidi Anderson (The Trail Foundation), Chuck Smith (Pease Park Conservancy), Sarah Story (Umlauf Sculpture). B. Overview of Working Group Process and Recommendations Working virtually, the Working Group identified a list of funding categories under the state’s hotel occupancy tax statute that could benefit our parks and environment. For each funding category, we identified the “statutory basis” for the expenditure, any geographic limitations under state law, whether “maintenance and operations” can be funded, the existence of any “statutory cap” under state law, any “real world examples” of such expenditures, and a summary of the position of the Texas Municipal League regarding HOT expenditures in each category. In addition, we included a description of proposed projects to illustrate how the expenditures might be implemented with HOT funds. The details of this analysis are attached at Exhibit A, and an …
Austin Parks and Recreation Department Financial Services Division October 25, 2021 PARD Strategic Planning Follow-Up: Resource Allocation and Cash Handling Audits Background 2 • The PARD Resource Allocation Audit was conducted in 2016. The objective of the audit was “to determine how resources are allocated for PARD programs and maintenance, and if this process results in equity from a City district perspective.” The audit resulted in three findings and four recommendations. • The PARD Cash Handling Audit was conducted in 2017. The objective of the audit was “to determine if PARD accounted for all the money it received.” The audit resulted in two findings and four recommendations. PARD has implemented 6 recommendations related to strategic planning: 3 Source: Auditor analysis of PARD’s actions to address prior audit recommendations, September 2021 Implementation Status of Recommendations - PARD Resource Allocation 4 Recommendations Recommendation 1: The Director should implement a comprehensive program management system to track complete and reliable program information and ensure these decisions are documented and communicated throughout PARD Implementation Status Underway Recommendation 2: The Director should: A. initiate a policy discussion with City Council and the City Manager to determine how to offer an appropriate balance of PARD services given funding; B. perform a sustainability analysis and make adjustments to programs, services, and facilities that better align to decisions made in that policy discussion; and C. better align fees to recover costs Implemented Implementation Status of Recommendations - PARD Resource Allocation (continued) 5 Recommendations Recommendation 3: The Director should ensure registration for all fee-based programs is done in RecTrac, all participants pay for the services they receive, and that payment is made timely or appropriately addressed per policy Recommendation 4: The Director should ensure facility service requests are completed timely and that staff collect and report all information regarding each facility maintenance service request work order including the reasons for any cancellations Implementation Status Implemented Underway Implementation Status of Recommendations - PARD Cash Handling 6 Recommendations Recommendation 1: The PARD Director should identify ways that technology and/or process changes can be used to independently determine expected revenue at PARD sites and eliminate the need for the “over-ring” practice at municipal pools. Recommendation 2: The PARD Director should identify ways that technology and/or process changes can be used to reduce or eliminate the acceptance of paper money at a department or site level. Implementation Status Implemented Implemented Implementation Status of Recommendations …
City of Austin Office of the City Auditor Report Highlights September 2021 PARD Strategic Planning Follow-Up Objective The objective of this special report was to follow up on the Parks and Recreation Department’s (PARD) actions to implement recommendations from the PARD Resource Allocation and PARD Cash Handling audits. What We Learned We verified the department implemented two of the four recommendations we issued in the PARD Resource Allocation Audit and work on the other two recommendations is underway. We issued four recommendations through the PARD Cash Handling Audit, and all four have been implemented. PARD has made significant improvements to managing its resources, including implementation of new cost-recovery and subsidy pricing models and new cash handling procedures. However, the City’s funding priorities may continue to constrain the department’s ability to effectively offer its current wide range of services, especially in high-cost areas such as aquatics, golf courses, and cemeteries. PARD has implemented 6 recommendations related to strategic planning PARD Resource Allocation Audit PARD Cash Handling Audit 2 recommendations implemented 4 recommendations implemented 2 recommendations underway SOURCE: Auditor analysis of PARD’s actions to address prior audit recommendations, September 2021 Background The PARD Resource Allocation Audit was conducted in 2016 because prior audits had indicated risks relating to PARD resource allocation may not have been fully addressed. The objective of audit was “to determine how resources are allocated for PARD programs and maintenance, and if this process results in equity from a City district perspective.” The audit resulted in three findings and four recommendations. The PARD Cash Handling Audit was conducted in fiscal year 2017 after PARD and City Auditor staff identified risks related to cash management in prior audits and investigations. The objective of the audit was “to determine if the Parks and Department (PARD) accounted for all the money it received.” The audit resulted in two findings and four recommendations. Both audits evaluated how PARD manages its resources and the many programs and functions the department oversees. Making efficient use of those resources is critical in achieving PARD’s mission to “inspire Austin to learn, play, protect and connect by creating diverse programs and experiences in sustainable natural spaces and public places.” 1 Office of the City Auditor DRAFTPARD Strategic Planning Follow-Up Report Highlights September 2021 Implementation Status Underway City of Austin City of Austin Office of the City Auditor Office of the City Auditor Implementation Status of Recommendations Audit Recommendations …
City of Austin Office of the City Auditor Special Report PARD Strategic Planning Follow-Up September 2021 This is a special report to follow up on the recommendations related to PARD strategic planning made in the Resource Allocation and Cash Handling audits. The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) has made significant progress to address the recommendations made in these audits, including actions taken to enhance cost recovery, implement equitable program subsidies, and improve training for staff. However, City leadership will need to address the long-term financial sustainability of PARD programming. DRAFT Contents Objective Background Objective and Background What We Learned and What PARD has Done Appendix A - Findings Issued Appendix B - Implementation Status of Recommendations Scope and Methodology 2 3 8 9 10 Cover: Roy Kizer Golf Course, City of Austin. The objective of this special report was to follow up on the Parks and Recreation Department’s (PARD) actions to implement recommendations from the PARD Resource Allocation and PARD Cash Handling audits. The PARD Resource Allocation Audit was conducted as part of the Office of the City Auditor’s fiscal year 2016 Audit Plan and because prior audits had indicated risks relating to PARD resource allocation may not have been fully addressed. The objective of the audit was “to determine how resources are allocated for PARD programs and maintenance, and if this process results in equity from a City district perspective.” The audit resulted in three findings and four recommendations. The PARD Cash Handling Audit was conducted in fiscal year 2017 after PARD and City Auditor staff identified risks related to cash management in prior audits and investigations. The objective of the audit was “to determine if the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) accounted for all the money it received.” The audit resulted in two findings and four recommendations. Both audits evaluated how PARD manages its resources and the many programs and functions the department oversees. Making efficient use of those resources is critical in achieving PARD’s mission to “inspire Austin to learn, play, protect and connect by creating diverse programs and experiences in sustainable natural spaces and public places.” 2 Office of the City Auditor DRAFTPARD Strategic Planning Follow-Up What We Learned Summary What has the department done to address the issues we identified? We issued four recommendations through the PARD Resource Allocation Audit in 2016. We verified the department implemented two of these recommendations, and two are underway. …
PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD FINANCIAL COMMITTEE MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 – 12:00PM MINUTES The Financial Committee convened in a special meeting on Monday, October 25, 2021 at 1183 Chestnut Avenue in Austin, Texas. Chair Faust called the meeting to order at 12:05pm. Committee Members in Attendance: Chair Sarah Faust, Lisa Hugman, Kimberly Taylor and Dawn Lewis, Ex-Officio Committee Members Absent: Richard DePalma Staff in Attendance: Suzanne Piper, Vanorda Richardson, Nicholas Johnson, Ed Morris, and Sammi Curless CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the special called meeting of August 18, 2021 were approved on Committee Member Taylor motion, Chair Faust second on a 3-0 vote with Committee Member DePalma absent and one vacancy. To ensure adequate time for discussion, Item B3 was heard first followed by B1 and B2. B. NEW BUSINESS: PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS 1. Discussion and possible action on Park Districts and Park Fees in follow up from August 18, 2021 presentation. The Committee discussed the item; no action was taken on the item. 2. Discussion and possible action on a recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Board regarding Hotel Occupancy Tax. Chair Faust led the discussion; no action was taken on the item. 3. Presentation, discussion and possible action on Parks and Recreation Department Page 1 of 2 Strategic Planning Follow Up Audit by City of Austin Office of the City Auditor. Vanorda Richardson and Iliyas Vohra of the Parks and Recreation Department made a presentation and answered questions from the Committee. No action was taken on the item. C. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Park Districts and Park Fees • Recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Board regarding Hotel Occupancy Tax • Fiscal Year 2023 budget process overview • Annual report and review of list of topics Chair Faust adjourned the meeting at 1:32pm. Page 2 of 2
