MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION AIMS TO DECREASE FUNDING FOR MINNEAPOLIS PARK & RECREATION BOARD IN 2003 AND FUTURE YEARS
PROPOSED REDUCTIONS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND PROGRAMS Minneapolis, MN... July 11, 2002 . . . . . The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) announced concerns today about a resolution that the Mayor and City Council will vote on tomorrow that will result in serious consequences for the parks of Minneapolis. Over the past several years, the MPRB identified critical capital and operating needs in the park system. These included a $100 million infrastructure gap in the neighborhood park system, $200 million gap in the regional park system and a $25 million need for improved athletic fields. Through past negotiations with City and Council leadership, the MPRB was scheduled to receive $6.2 million in net debt bond and capital improvements levy funds for 2003. The new resolution, however, calls for that amount to be cut by $4,080,000 to a new base level of $2,120,000. "The Mayor and City Council proposal suggests that the Park Board exercise tax levy restraint for critical infrastructure and other improvements to park services by reducing our levy 6.1% when the City Council is increasing their levy capacity by 14.5%. The MPRB should not have to pay for spending decisions made by the Mayor and City Council," said MPRB President Bob Fine. "The suggestion that we have invested too much in parks is very short sighted and unfair to Minneapolis taxpayers who support park and recreation programs and services." Page 2 - Proposed Budget Cuts for MPRB July 11, 2002 "Our capital projects program will be virtually eliminated if the proposals in the resolution are upheld," said Minneapolis Parks Superintendent Mary Merrill Anderson. "Next year, we must finish paying for the NE Waterpark and other improvements funded by matched grants (such as Hall & Harrison Parks - matched by a Federal UPARR Grant), but we will be short of our match for a Federal T-21 grant for the Mill Ruins Park Plank Road). Numerous other 2003 improvements such as new roofs for East Phillips, Fuller, Logan, Longfellow Parks, tennis court rehabilitation at Riverside Park, parking lot improvements at Powderhorn Park and building improvements at Folwell Park will not be done. Dog parks will not be expanded. General site improvements at Brackett, Currie, Elliot and Kenny Park will not start and the work at North Commons Park will stop. This is just the list for 2003 capital projects. The true impact expands geometrically over the next seven years." "Addressing the deteriorating condition of our facilities - some 30 years and older - that are used and depended upon by our neighborhood residents and improving the quality of programs and services is critically important for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board," said MPRB Vice President Marie Hauser. "We are concerned that there would be this kind of proposal by any elected official who truly understands the critical role parks play in the community and the value that parks add to the quality of life in this city. There is a balance between financial constraints on the budget and the need to maintain safe and healthy parks." "This resolution supported by the Mayor and City Council is an outright infringement of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board's right to make decisions as an independent, elected board," said MPRB President, Bob Fine. "In fact, the resolution states that they oppose the Park Board seeking support directly from taxpayers through a referendum, which also infringes on taxpayers right to decide what level of park programs and services we should have in our city." "The MPRB is committed to providing quality programs and services that meet the needs of Minneapolis residents, especially for our children, in safe and well maintained parks," said MPRB District V Commissioner Ed Solomon. "The proposed allocation for parks by Mayor and City Council in this resolution totals only $22.5 million over the next seven years, which is a reduction of $34 million in Park rehabilitation needs which was previously agreed upon. Any decrease in capital or operating funds could potentially reduce many of the program services that the MPRB provides in recreation, maintenance, forestry, environmental operations and the safety of our parks as well." # # # # <<Fact Sheet on budget reduction.doc>>
Fact Sheet on budget reduction.doc
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