A Summary Of Current Park Board Topics To Be Discussed At The 10/20/08 Meeting
The following item by Shawne FitzGerald of Powderhorn appeared on the Minneapolis Issues Forum list on October 19. It is an excellent summary of the topics that were on the agenda for the October 20, 2008, Park Board meeting.
A SUMMARY OF CURRENT PARK BOARD TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED AT THE 10/20/08 MEETING
The Park Board is meeting at Wirth Chalet tomorrow to consider budget and financial issues. This is a Committee of the Whole meeting and will not be televised. Perhaps the Commissioners will refer the agenda to the standing Admin and Finance Committee which is televised - thereby increasing transparency.
The Park Board also failed to post the actual agenda and support documents two days prior to the meeting as is usual. Lots of controversial stuff here - ParkWatch has posted the materials at the ParkWatch Public Library http://homepage.mac.com/parkwatch
Some highlights:
Dedicated Park Fees - this is the proposal to charge a $2000 fee on each new unit constructed. State law requires that the City and Park Board pass a joint ordinance before this happens and, so far, the City has not signed off. Problems with this source of funds include 1) the fees can only be used for capital costs and 2) there must be a direct relationship, a nexus, between payment of fees and park capital expenditures. The Park Board has yet to provide details on how the funds would be used.
Sale of the 201 Building, Fort Snelling to the Boy Scouts. Sale will be reviewed by District Court on Oct 21st. Not clear: how the proceeds will be used to pay off outstanding City bonds on the sale. Arlene Fried has posted an op-ed piece that includes the history and chronology of this deal. See http://mplsparkwatch.org/node/878.
Skipperliner. This is the contract for the boats on the Mississippi River. I posted on this a few weeks ago after Park Watch discovered an email promising to spend public dollars on improvements for the Skipperliner Boom Island operations as well as forgiving dock fees in 2007 and 2008. Staff is now bringing this and related issues to the Commissioners.
ParkWatch research indicates that the Mississippi River boat operations lose money for the ParkBoard. Possibly, the taxpayers are subsidizing every passenger that rides on the boats. However, Park Watch doesn't have access to all the data that the Commissioners can access - I urge them to get an accounting of all revenues and expenses, including capital costs.
Nicollet Island Pavilion. Behind the scenes, the State Finance Commissioner has questioned the private use of the Nicollet Island Pavilion. This was because state obligation bond proceeds were used to acquire and rehab the Pavilion and grounds. MPRB staff reports that an asst state finance commissioner has agreed that the State has no authority to ensure public use of a public asset because it was purchased before 1974. Interesting constitutional issue that might merit the attention of the MN ACLU.
Nicollet Island Pavilion. Behind the scenes, the Metropolitan Council has questioned the private use of this building particularly in terms of regional park use. The state obligation bonds used to pay for the Pavilion and grounds were awarded by the Met Council through the regional parks program. Park Board staff asserts that Mintahoe, the private corporation in the Pavilion, only has the right to store items at the site, not to occupy it, and that Park Board staff has verbally told Mintahoe to remove its offices and staff.
This seems disingenuous for the Park Board has been aware that Mintahoe has occupied the Pavilion for several years. This summer, the Park Board supported Mintahoe's effort to get a 4 am liquor license during the RNC - and that liquor license was awarded to 40 Power Street. Going back to 2003, the Park Board and Mintahoe jointly applied to the HPC for a sign variance - and Mintahoe was listed as tenant. Mintahoe's status seems to change depending on what it needs to be in government applications.
In park plans submitted to the Metropolitan Council, the Nicollet Island Pavilion was to be a picnic pavilion and interpretive center open to regional park visitors for the majority of the time and rented out for private events for a minority of the time. Hopefully, the MPRB Commissioners will seize this opportunity to restore public access to the Pavilion and its parking lots.
Property Taxes for Businesses Located in Parks. Park staff evidently asked the Park Board attorney to research this. The Park Board is paying property taxes at the Lake Harriet concession stand because its agreement did not include the vendor paying for this. The Park Board attorney's opinion was not released as public information.
Storm Water Fees. The Park Board pays $400,000 and wants an exemption from City in recognition of the contribution of the parks to the storm water system. This seems reasonable although it would cease to penalize the Park Board for increasing buildings, parking lots, and other impermeable surfaces in the parks.
Non-resident Dog Park Fees in Regional Parks. Regional parks account for about $17.5 million of the MPRB $55 million operating budget and one-eighth of regional park operating funds come from Met Council grants. The Met Council has an equal access policy and suggested that the higher non-resident fees for dog parks at regional parks violates this. Park Board staff responded that access for people is free, the charge only applies to dogs. Hopefully, the Commissioners will look at the net revenues from the non-resident portion of dog park fees and judge whether this is an issue worth haggling over.
Finances. For a budget meeting, there is little on the budget. Park Board staff proposes to increase revenues viawood chip sales, regional parking, administrative tickets, sponsorships for music ad movies in the parks, Midtown ECO energy lease income, and beverage contract income. No dollar amount of projected income is included.
The beverage contract is up for bids about now and this has the potential to be controversial. The Park Board has made a commitment to work to reduce childhood obesity and the presence of pop machines seems in conflict with this goal.
After paying for increases in health care and utility/fuel costs, the Park Board will realize only a $965,000 inrease in property tax revenue. In-house construction is being eliminated and one position cut, other employees transferred. A hiring freeze on 15 vacant positions is proposed until the amount of state funding in 2009 is known.
FYI, Shawne FitzGeraldPowderhorn s f