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8D. Joint Department Parks & Recreation , CITY OF SALINA REQUEST FOR COMMISSION ACTION DATE TIME 7/16/79 4:00 P.M. I'ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: I APPROVED FOR AGENDA: I City Manager , I AGENDA NO. ITEM NO. SECTION: Administration D BY: Rufus L. Nye By:RLN Attached is a memorandum concerning the establishment of a Joint Park and Recreation Department. COMMISSION ACTION I MOTION BY I I I TO: i SECOND BY j' i I ~ . '1 MEMORANDUM - July 13, 1979 TO: The City Commission FROM: Rufus L. Nye, City Manager SUBJECT: Consolidation of Park and Recreation Departments I propose that the Park Department and the Recreation Department be combined into one department, to be headed by a Superintendent of Parks and Recreation. The Superintendent of Parks and Recreation would be directly responsible to the City Manager. The present Park Advisory Board would be abolished. The Recreation Commission would become the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and would advise the City Commission. The organizational framework for such a reorganization can be seen below: Combination by Statutory Implementation ~City commission~ City Manager ~ Parks & IRecreation Park & Recreation Superintendent Advisory Board I . Park & Recreation Department By state statute, this reorganization necessitates the consent of the governing bodies of both the City and the School District, and would be effective upon the passage of a City ordinance. I see little problem in getting the School Board to go along with such a reorganization. Legal authority for such a reorganization can be found in Kansas Statutes, Annotated, 12-1912, 12-1914, 12-1915, 12-1916, 12-1917 and 79-5009. Many cities in Kansas have gone to the IICombination by Statutory Implementationll system diagrammed above. The following list of Kansas cities use the combined system which I propose: City Population Pittsburg 19,875 Lawrence 48,184 Overland Park 82,802 Leavenworth 31,412 01 athe 25,410 . .' . , MEMORANDUM, July 13, 1979 page 2 Rufus L. Nye to City Commission Combining the Park and Recreation Departments offers many advantages and benefits over the present sytem. The "Combination Planll will provide more efficient internal management control. Centralized authority in the office of the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation will improve the system of accountabil ity. Under the proposed system the Super- intendent will be the only individual in charge of the entire department and the only individual answerable to the City Manager. This will be a marked improvement over the decentralized system we now have. A Superintendent of Parks and Recreation can devote full time to purely admini- strative matters. Pr~sently, the Superintendent of Parks must serve both as an administrator and a foreman and the Director of General Services does not have enough time to provide the necessary direction of the Park Department. The "Combination Plan" will facilitate long range planning. Both the Recreation and Park Departments have different needs and perspectives concerning common problems. The Superintendent of a combined Park and Recreation Department will be in a good position to address, coordinate, reconcile and arbitrate these conflicting needs and perspectives. The proposed plan will reduce the duplication of services and equipment under the present sytem. Both departments use, but do not share, the same type of equipment and tools. Good examples are lawn mowers and tractors. Both departments do some of the same things, such as lawn mowing. A combined department can reduce this overlap and duplication of services and equipment. The proposed plan will provide better coordination between the scheduling and maintenance of facilities. The present system is overly fragmented. For example, a few weeks ago the Recreation Department sponsored a concert in Oakdale Park. Although the Park Department was responsible for cleaning up after the concert, it was never informed of the event. This is a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. This kind of fragmentation would be overcome when the departments are combined. The proposed plan will facilitate communication and cooperation between the two departments. Under the present system there is no communication whatsoever between the Recreation and Park Departments even though their tasks are inter- related. There is no communication because the two departments are autonomous, under separate leadership, and one department is not part of the City. A combined department should solve these three deficiencies. Greater fiscal efficiency could be gained by combining the two departments. Greater "economies of scalell could be realized. Money will be saved as the duplication of services and equipment is reduced. For instance, the Recreation Department now buys and rents tools and equipment which could be furnished by the City when the IICombination Planll became effective. Better internal management efficiency, control, accountability and coordination would also save both time and money. The proposed system will provide greater manpower flexibility. Under the new system, manpower could be sent where it was needed and could be more fully utilized the year around. For example, during the winter months park personnel . ~. - , MEMORANDUM, July 13, 1979 page 3 Rufus L. Nye to City Commission could be shifted to areas within the Parks and Recreation Department where they were more needed. In the process, their talents could be better utilized. The reorganization plan will enhance the cooperation between the City and the Recreation Department. Under the proposed system recreation programs will receive higher priority from the City and the recreational needs of all its citizens can be better met. The present system depends too much on the Superintendent of the Recreation Department, the Superintendent of the Park Department and the Director of General Services being able to get along with each other. Too often in the past this has not been the case. The consolidation of the Park and Recreation Departments under the control of one person who is directly responsible to the City Manager will solve this problem. The Superintendent of Recreation, the Superintendent of Parks and the Director of General Services believe that the present structure needs to be changed and that the IICombination P1anll will solve some of the basic problems that now exist. The Recreation Commission is financed by tax levy by property taxes which are included in the levy of USD 305. The 1980 Budget for the Recreation Commission is $255,390. Spread upon the USD assessed valuation of $117,511,140, a mill rate of 2.18 is generated. Of the total Recreation Budget, residents of the city contribute $229,410, or 90%. If a combined Parks and Recreation Department were created, residents of the city would have to pay the entire cost. Based upon the 1980 Budget of $255,390 and the City's assessed valuation of $105,233,894, a mill rate of 2.43 would be necessary. This mean that $25,980 additional dollars would be raised within the city. This translates out to 75i per residence per year. Part of this could be assumed from the recreational levy the Special Parks and Recreation Fund created by the 1979 legislature. The legislature placed a 10% tax on liquor sales in Kansas. private clubs. Approximately $35,000 would be available for this purpose from this fund. Another possibility is to utilize the sales tax if one is adopted by the citizens. This would be even a fairer method because citizens outside the city utilize some recreational service programs. If the Parks and Recreation Department was created, the Recreation Commission would become an Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission. The membership of the present commission would continue until their term expired, at which time the Commission would appoint replacements. The net result to the Recreation Commission is they would no longer have the IIfinal sayll of recreation programs. In fact, of course they would probably have the IIfina1 sayll of programs and ser- vices, but the administrative control would be in the City Commission through the City Manager and Parks and Recreation Superintendent. Larry Bengtson has researched the timing and procedures to be followed in the creation of a Joint Parks and Recreation Department. If it is the desire of the City Commission and School Board to have a joint department, they must follow certain procedures. They must each adopt a Resolution stating their intention to do so. If no protest is received, approximately 950 signatures would be . ,. 'f MEMORANDUM, July 13, 1979 page 4 Rufus L. Nye to City Commission required, within 20 days after publication of the Resolutions, the City could proceed. If a valid petition is received, an election would be necessary. Assuming all goes according to schedule and the 20 day protest period passes, the City is then free to adopt an Ordinance establishing the Department of Parks and Recreation. If it were the Commission decision to proceed, I would suggest an effective date of January 1, 1980, to provide time to react to the proposal. Furthermore, if this time were chosen, the funds to operate the recreation program during 1980 would come from USD 305's tax levy. The City tax levy would not take affect until January, 1981. This is because the City would assume lIall propertyll of the Salina Recreation Commission. The Kansas Supreme Court's decision, in a case involving Leavenworth and its former Recreation Commission, was that IIpropertyll included taxes due from the school district. I have discussed this proposal with Superintendent of Schools, Lloyd Schurr, and he feels the Board of Education would be agreeable to this consolidation. I suggest the Commission invite comments and suggestions from the Recreation Commission, Board of Education, and interested citizens. The School Board could adopt a Resolution on August 7, the City Commission on August 13, it could be published on August 17 and the protest period would expire on September 6. The Commission could have first reading of the Ordinance on September 10 and second reading on September 17, with publication on October 13, and become effective on November 2. The effective date of the consolidation would be January 1, 1980. RLN:CW:al'11N