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 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 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 October 25, 2021. B. NEW BUSINESS: PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS 1. Presentation and discussion regarding the Fiscal Year 2023 budget development process. Presenter(s): Vanorda Richardson, Financial Manager III, Parks and Recreation Department 2. Discussion and possible action on Park Districts and Park Fees in follow-up from 3. Discussion and possible action on a recommendation to the Parks and Recreation 4. Presentation, discussion and possible action regarding the Committee annual report and August 18, 2021 presentation. Board regarding Hotel Occupancy Tax. Presenter(s): Sarah Faust, Committee Chair review of Committee topic list. Presenter(s): Sarah Faust, Committee Chair Page 1 of 2 5. Discussion and possible action on the 2022 Committee meeting schedule Presenter(s): Sammi Curless, Business Process Specialist, Parks and Recreation Department C. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable 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 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) Kimberly Taylor (D-8) VACANT Dawn Lewis (D-10), Ex-Officio AGENDA 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. Page 1 of 2 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 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
Austin Parks and Recreation Department Financial Services Division PARB Financial Committee Presentation November 18, 2021 The Operating Budget Cycle Mid-Aug: Budget Adoption Oct 1: Start of Fiscal Year May-Jul: Proposed Budget Nov-Dec: Goal Setting Jan-Apr: Forecast Process 2 FY 2023 BUDGET CALENDAR (sample for illustration purposes only) 3 GOAL SETTING (Nov - Dec) FY2023 Goals and Objectives – Communication at all levels of the Department 2023 In Alignment with PARB Long Range Plan and COA Strategic Direction Direction from City Leadership frames direction and capacity for growth Goal/Project Estimate Resources Cost Forecast Request (if applicable) 4 FINANCIAL FORECAST (Jan – Apr) REQUESTS PARAMETERS: General Fund and Support Services departments must develop a forecast with only baseline requirements. In other words, the only increases allowable are those necessary to accommodate items previously authorized by Council. Examples of acceptable forecast items that increase the Department’s budget are: • Costs of a new facility that will be opened part-way through FY 2023 • Costs related to annexations or new facilities • Lease increases, legislative directives, contractual commitments Community Engagement – March and April Budget Forums Departmental Budget Presentations 5 DIVISION SUBMITTAL FORM Divisions Submit Requests with the following: • AS-IS State: What is the current situation? • TO-BE STATE: Why do you need an increase in funding/staff? • PARD Goals & SD23 impact • Proposed estimated expenditures 6 PROPOSED BUDGET (May - July) Components and other considerations of the Proposed Budget: City Manager/Budget Office approved Forecast Fee Changes and/or Additions Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) 5-year Requests Planning Boards and Commissions Recommendations Council initiatives 7 QUESTIONS? 8
Austin Parks and Recreation Department Financial Services Division Original Presentation on June 17, 2021 Modified Presentation for November 18, 2021 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 …
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 …
FINANCIAL COMMITTEE 2022 MEETING SCHEDULE (2nd Monday of each month, except December, 12:00pm) January 10, 2022 February 14, 2022 March 14, 2022 April 11, 2022 May 9, 2022 June 13, 2022 July 11, 2022 August 8, 2022 September 12, 2022 October 10, 2022 November 14, 2022
Park Districts Part I: An Overview A PRESENTATION TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD’S FINANCE COMMITTEE R.DEPALMA 11.17.2021 1 What is the Purpose of this Presentation? Park funding is a challenge nationally but some entities, regardless of size, have figured out other ways to increase funding to meet the recreational needs of their community. This presentation is going to explore one way in which park systems are organized and funded and that is the park district. This presentation does not mean that the Parks Board or the City of Austin is moving down this direction. This is just a first step on a long trail. The Parks Board has and will continue to explore other funding as well. If the Parks Board takes another step, it will just be a step towards a long path that may or may not lead us to a parks district. Recently, I heard someone said that it was much easier to tear down a house rather than grab a hammer and build one. It is my hope that as we discuss new ideas, people bring their questions and their knowledge to help build whatever house our community decides on. Thank you for understanding, Rich DePalma Vice Chair City of Austin Parks and Recreation Board 2 What is a Park District? A Park District is a form of local special-purpose district / political subdivision created for the purpose of providing public parks and recreation in a geographic area. An important criteria for a parks district is that it has the governing body has the ability levy voter-approved property taxes on behalf of the district. Park districts allow greater visibility to tax payers on where the money is being spent since property tax funding goes directly into the parks budget and not part of the City’s General Revenue Fund. Other type of special districts include: Central Health, Austin Transit Partnership 3 Challenge Statement What issue are we trying to solve? 4 The Frustration Not Enough Money to Meet Austin’s Park and Recreation Needs “Why buy new property when it takes so long to develop?” “When is my park going to be improved?” “Why isn’t there a park ranger to address ….?” “When will there be funding for...?” “Why don’t we provide summer camps for more youth?” “We don’t have a park in our area.” We are a growing city and the issue is …
Parks and Recreation Board Financial Committee Potential Items for Consideration April 12, 2021 – Status update November 18, 2021 1. FUNDING AVENUES Tax Related • HOT Tax allocation to historical & tourist parks (referred from Parks and Recreation Board) - Discussed June 2021, October 2021 & November 2021 • Recreation, Arts, & Parks Tax1 - Not discussed 2021 • Ad Valorem Tax Texas Local Government Code Chapter 331 • Public Improvement District, Texas Local Government Code Chapter 3722 • Park Public Improvement District in format described in Local Government Code Chapter 372.021: Special Improvement District Fund - Decided not to explore. • Cemetery maintenance ad valorem tax - Not discussed 2021 - Not discussed 2021 - Not discussed 2021 Fee Related • Park Maintenance Fee3 - Reviewed August 2021 & November 2021 • Park District Fee - Reviewed August 2021 & November 2021 1 Added to existing sales tax. 2 Defined geographic area to jointly plan and put in place a sustainable funding source that can pay for a set of services to improve their area. 3 Creation of a Park Maintenance Free to be imposed and levied upon the responsible party of all developed property within the City of Austin, similar in structure to the Transportation User Fee. • Partnerships (Are partnerships part of Contracts & Concessions?)(referred from • Unrestricted donations directly to PARD (referred from Alternative Funding Working • Convert PARD from General Fund to Enterprise Department Other • Sale of land and endowment - Not reviewed 2021. • Budget Definitions - Not reviewed 2021. Alternative Funding Working Group) Capital improvements Operation and maintenance - Not reviewed 2021. Group) - Not reviewed 2021. Increase fees. - Will be reviewed 2021. • - Not reviewed 2021. • Reorganization of Park Rangers; conservation corps; • Continued discussion of under-resourced needs. - Action taken in 2021-2022 budget review. - Will be reviewed in Budget 2022-2021 • ADA accommodation -Not reviewed 2021. • Costs related to park development (capital projects); costs related to maintenance deferred maintenance presentation • Energy (older facilities opportunity to increase efficiency – energy savings performance • Services for seniors (given projections for senior population are we planning to meet -Not reviewed 2021. contracts) and water costs (reuse). -Not reviewed 2021 needs). -Not reviewed 2021 2. RESEARCH NEEDS • Visitor counts -Not reviewed 2021 • Spending per population; index to population growth. – historical information from …
