REVENUE MEASURE STUDY SESSION - Laserfiche WebLink

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The District was able to build facilities in the early years because in 1972 voters passed a bond with nearly 71 % support for the acquisition of properties and construction of park improvements. New parks and facilities have also historically been funded by developer fees (aka "Quimby" fees) on new residential construction. Those fees were much more robust when Thousand Oaks was adding hundreds of residential units each year. However, as the City approaches build -out and residential construction dries -up, funding for capital facilities (whether new amenities or simply replacing or rehabilitating aging infrastructure) is very limited. Thankfully, the City of Thousand Oaks has been an exceptional partner helping CRPD with grants for certain capital improvements over the years. In 2001, property owners in the Conejo Valley approved a District -wide Benefit Assessment District to off -set some of the ERAF-shift losses and help the District continue to keep pace with ongoing recreational and park needs of the Conejo Valley. That benefit assessment still provides critical funds to sustain the recreation and park system generating nearly $2,000,000 annually towards the District's overall (all funds) annual budget of approximately $27,000,000. SCI Consulting, known as Shilts Consulting at the time, helped the District implement the District's Benefit Assessment and continues to serve as the Engineer of Record. In the coming years, should the District wish to maintain its infrastructure (parks, landscaping, walkways, lighting, fencing, playgrounds, parking lots, community centers, cultural centers, museum, historic sites, restrooms, sports fields, sport courts, water and wastewater lines, etc.) at a level the community has come to expect, it will need to invest significant resources into capital repair and replacement. If the District wishes to add or improve new parks or park amenities, even more capital improvement funds will be needed. New or expanded parks and capital amenities will also typically require additional resources for maintenance and operations. As for the District's participation in COSCA, there are still approximately 1,000 acres of property identified as priority acquisition parcels for open space conservation; plus the demand for resources needed to manage the public use of the trail system, the urban/wildland interface and the open space natural resources continues to grow. The purpose of this study session is for SCI Consulting to provide a broad overview of the pros/cons of various revenue generating and funding mechanisms available to recreation and park districts and begin a conversation with the Board and community about what (if any) potential additional revenue option(s) may be worth pursuing. At the conclusion of the study session, staff would like the Board to consider the creation of an ad hoc committee of the Board to help consider various options and return to the full Board with recommendations. STRATEGIC PLAN COMPLIANCE: 3.2 Evaluate existing and seek new revenue sources to enhance programming, property acquisition, park improvements and capital facility replacements.