Page 148 - parks-master-plan

• As the City continues to overlap and venture into resource sharing with multiple school districts, the ability to justify and manage the variable fee structures will become exceedingly difficult.

• Existing pricing practices do not have a universal or formalized method to determine overhead costs.

Strategies

• Develop a list of philosophical statements on community values to establish priorities as related to services rendered, population served and degree of resource allocation.

• Conduct a comprehensive survey specific to community parks and recreation needs. Use the results to prioritize, plan and identify any major commitments such as future land acquisition, additional facilities creation, other capital improvement projects, staffing levels, potential partnerships, programs and services.

• Develop formalized joint-use agreements between the City and the relevant school districts regarding the rights and responsibilities of each party as it relates to use and maintenance of every property site. These agreements should be a general understanding of shared resources

and should be specific to the

individual need for specific programs or activities. Over time, multiple formal agreements will be necessary to sustain the various relationships and uses.

• Consolidate the existing fee structure to include a two-tiered residency fee structure of “residents” and “nonresidents.”

• With the assistance of the Finance Department, create a universal method to determine anticipated overhead (indirect) costs before implementing a program or service. It is recommended that a

predetermined percentage rate be applied to direct costs as part of determining program fees and recovery expectations. Further adjustments should follow the annual cost study analysis.