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
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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
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I TO:
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SECOND BY
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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
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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
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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
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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