Page 55 - parks-master-plan

inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground) with enough trees to equal the removed tree’s diameter. If tree replacement is not possible on the developed site, developers must pay a City fee earmarked for public property reforestation.

Dublin is typical of many Ohio municipalities in that income tax is the City’s most significant revenue source. As required by voter’s approval, 25 percent of the City’s 2 percent income tax is allocated to the Capital

Improvements Tax Fund for the sole purpose of funding improvements, including the retirement of any related debt.

Capital projects related to parks and recreation are, for the most part, funded on a cash basis from the income tax revenues allocated to the Capital Improvements Tax Fund. The City updates and adopts a five-year capital improvements program annually.

In addition to land acquired through the open space ordinance, City Council has a long-standing goal of acquiring parkland and open space. In conjunction with that goal, the property tax revenue generated from the City’s “inside millage” has been dedicated, in whole or part, to the City’s Parkland Acquisition Fund. This revenue source has been used to acquire parkland on a cash basis and to retire debt that has been issued to acquire parkland. The City also has committed revenue from the Parkland

Acquisition Fund to partner with the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Park District (the Metro Parks) to acquire land for Glacier Ridge Metro Park, which serves the Dublin community.

In addition to the partnership with the Metro Parks, Dublin has partnered with Washington Township to acquire and develop parkland. This partnership has given township and City residents high-quality public lands and demonstrates how government relationships can result in mutually beneficial services.

The single most significant capital investment related to parks and recreation has been the construction of the Dublin Community Recreation Center (DCRC). The DCRC was constructed in two phases and was funded 50 percent from current income tax revenues and 50 percent from the issuance of long-term bonds. The annual debt service payments are programmed from income tax revenues allocated for the purpose of retiring debt. These funds and the debt being retired are identified in the City’s CIP.

In addition to income and property tax revenues, the City has identified the use of tax increment financing (TIF) as a potential revenue source for the acquisition and development of parks that will service the property within the TIF district. Service