Last updated on June 3, 2010
NEWS RELEASES:
Economy forces changes to popular spot for swimming, picnics (5/27/10)
Regional parks implement new parking fee requirements and optional annual pass (5/11/10)
Regional parks reopen to cars March 1, when services resume (2/18/10)
Picnic shelter reservations prove popular, despite new fees (2/4/10)
Parks to take reservations for more picnic shelters under new fee plan (1/26/10)
Tentative agreement would keep two boat launches open (12/30/09)
County to reduce winter operating costs, access at major parks starting Jan. 1 (12/23/09)
Picnic shelter reservations for 2010 accepted starting Feb. 1 (12/21/09)
Due to continued revenue shortfalls and the short- and long-term effects of the current economic downturn, both Clark County and the City of Vancouver are cutting their general funds to address multimillion-dollar deficits that will affect Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation programs and services starting in 2010.
Why is this happening?
City and county general funds are the source of revenue with the most discretionary dollars. For the most part, other revenue sources are restricted to specific uses. Restricted revenues include park impact fees, real estate excise taxes, and the Greater Clark Parks District levy.
The city and county general funds have been hit hard by reductions in sales tax collections tied to new construction and retail sales. Despite some early signs of economic recovery, general fund revenues are expected to lag through 2010 and possibly longer.
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How much did the city and county cut from parks and recreation?
Clark County cut $1.6 million from its General Fund parks maintenance and operations budget in December 2009 using a combination of spending cuts, fee increases and redirection of existing dollars. This represents about 13 percent of the projected $12.5 million overall budget gap the county faced in 2010.
The City of Vancouver cut $400,000 from its 2009 parks and recreation budget, and may cut up to an additional $1.2 million in 2010, as part of a broader effort to eliminate a projected $5.7-$6.4 million citywide deficit for 2009-10. The 2009 reduction represents 6-7 percent of citywide budget cuts. These cuts were necessary because revenue from recreation fees (i.e. community center passes, drop-in fees, etc.) is lower than expected.
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How are parks and recreation currently funded?
Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation is a consolidated agency that provides services to the City of Vancouver and unincorporated Clark County. It receives funding from the following sources:
- City of Vancouver and Clark County general funds - Used for maintenance and operations of existing parks, trails and recreation facilities that are not part of the Greater Clark Parks District program, and for administrative costs.
- Park impact fees and real estate excise taxes - These funding sources are dedicated to planning, design, permitting and construction of new parks and recreation facilities, and improvements to existing facilities. Park impact fees are paid by residential housing developers, and real estate excise taxes are collected whenever homes are sold.
- Fees collected from recreation passes, classes, sports leagues and community center rentals are used to support the City of Vancouver's recreation program. Fees collected in parks for parking, picnic shelter reservations and special use permits are used to recover some park maintenance and operations costs.
- Property taxes collected by the Greater Clark Parks District. This district was approved by voters in the unicorporated urban area of the county in 2005 to pay for maintenance and operations of 30 new neighborhood parks, along with five new community parks, seven miles of trails, and additional youth sports fields. It can also be used to pay for maintenance of existing parks located within the district boundaries.
- State and federal grants - Primarily used for acquisition, planning and construction of new facilities, as well as improvements to existing facilities.
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How are county parks and trails being affected by the cuts?
The $1.6 million Clark County General Fund budget cut for parks will be acheived in the following ways:
- Use a portion of the property taxes collected through the Greater Clarks Parks District to pay for maintenance of some parks within the district’s boundaries built before 2005.
Estimated general fund savings: $540,122
- Reduce parks maintenance and operations work done using outside contracts, such as security, cleaning and mowing services, and perform more work in-house.
Estimated general fund savings: $309,333
- Recover some maintenance and operations costs by charging fees for picnic shelter reservations, increasing parking fees at some regional parks, collecting parking fees at Daybreak and Haapa boat launches, extending the parking fee collection period by four additional months, and implementing new special use fees for weddings, concerts and other large gatherings.
Estimated general fund savings: $340,589
- Limit access to nine regional parks, trails and boat launches for three months in the winter (December-February).
Estimated general fund savings: $183,978
- Reduce maintenance, such as weed control and irrigation installation, at parks located outside the Greater Clark Parks District boundaries.
Estimated general fund savings: $155,217
- Discontinue life guards at Klineline Pond and close the children’s sprayground water feature.
Estimated general fund savings: $72,000
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What does it mean to limit access to a regional park?
Each year, from Dec. 1 to March 1, the entrance gates will be locked, preventing cars from entering the main parking lot(s). However, pedestrians and bicyclists can still enter. No maintenance work will be performed, including mowing the grass, removing storm debris, opening and closing gates, restroom maintenance, facility repairs and garbage removal. Any on-site residential caretakers will be laid off.
The following parks and trailheads will have limited access and no maintenance each winter:
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Why did the county decide to limit access to these popular parks and trails?
The county already turned off drinking fountains, locks restrooms and removes dumpsters and barbecue grills from Oct. 15 to April 15, when these parks see fewer visitors.
Starting in 2010, the county will limit access to these parks and stop all remaining maintenance activities from Dec. 1 through March 1 in order to reduce Clark County General Fund spending by an additional $183,978 per year. During this time, no maintenance work will be done and the entrance gates will remain locked to help reduce problems with litter, vandalism and other illegal activities.
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Are there other nearby parks that aren't closed that I can visit during this time?
Yes. A large number of other city, county, state and federal parks will continue to remain open to the public during the winter. Please visit any of the affected parks' Web pages to learn more.
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How will picnic shelter reservations change?
Starting in 2010, picnic shelter reservations will cost $25 to $100 per day, depending on the size of the shelter. These fees, collected from May through September, will be used to help keep shelters clean and in working order at five regional and community parks.
The shelters will continue to be available free of charge when not already reserved. Felida Community Park, Pacific Community Park, Orchards Community Park and others will continue to offer picnic shelters on a first-come, first-served basis at no charge.
More information.
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How will parking fees change?
Starting in 2010, the county will increase existing parking fees at four regional parks (Frenchman's Bar, Vancouver Lake, Salmon Creek/Klineline and Lewisville) from $2 to $3 for cars, from $1 to $2 for motorcycles, from $4 to $6 for cars with trailers, and from $6 to $8 for buses and some RVs.
In addition, parking fees will start being charged at Daybreak and Haapa boat launches.
The county will also start collecting fees throughout the year using self-pay stations whenever these parks and boat launches are open, instead of just during the summer.
Bicycles and pedestrians will still be able to to access the parks and boat launches for free. Also, annual $40 parking passes will continue to be available, which will provide unlimited access to all the affected parks and boat launches. More information.
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Why is the county increasing fees now?
Extreme pressure on the county general fund is currently driving need to increase fees in our parks. However, Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation has lagged behind similar departments in recovering its costs through fees for a number of years.
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Will the fee increases allow regional parks to stay open in the winter?
No. The county would need to collect an additional $183,978 per year in fees, over and above the revenue that will be generated by the new fees, to avoid the seasonal access restrictions at regional parks.
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What would happen if the fees hadn't been increased?
Without these fee increases, the $340,589 in general fund budget savings they will generate would have to be cut from something else. Ultimately, this could result in regional parks being closed to cars and receiving no maintenance for more than three months each year.
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Which parks will receive less year-round maintenance?
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Which parks will begin receiving maintenance and operations funding from the Greater Clark Parks District?
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Why can't money collected by the Greater Clark Parks District be used for all parks countywide?
The original ballot measure establishing the Greater Clark Parks District stated that the revenue collected by the property tax would be used only on park facilities located within the district boundaries.
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Will these changes be permanent?
Yes, unless another source of funding for park maintenance and operations is identified.
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How are the city and county planning for the future of parks and recreation?
Officials expect to start a detailed planning process in 2010 to explore how a regional alliance between Clark County and its cities could help pay for parks, natural lands, trails and recreation.
The Vancouver City Manager and his leadership team also initiated a collaborative process to define the future of the city in spring 2009. Working with major stakeholders and all city department directors, the “Horizons” process is based on the principles of “Priorities of Government.” A values-based process will be used to prioritize and realign city services, including city parks and recreation, based on available resources and the city’s Strategic Plan. This process will ultimately provide recommendations on services the city can afford to provide in the future using existing revenues. It will also address the 2010 budget shortfall challenge and include a public process to prepare for the 2011-12 budget.
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Will there be any other changes?
Yes. Clark County is also considering using volunteers to perform some park maintenance at select parks, trails and natural areas. The county intends to engage labor groups, neighborhood associations, community service groups and faith-based organizations in a discussion about how to increase partnerships in future maintenance of parks, trails and natural areas.
The county is also exploring strategies to improve the process used to schedule and maintain existing and new sports fields to maximize their use by the general public and organized sports groups, while protecting these heavily used features through regular and preventative maintenance.
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How will City of Vancouver parks and recreation programs be affected by the cuts?
Parks and recreation is implementing strategies to address the $400,000 budget reduction resulting from lower-than-expected recreation fee revenue. The department is focused on maintaining direct services and addressing the current shortfall by reducing administrative costs.
There will not be any passholder or drop-in fee increases or operational reductions at the three recreation centers (Marshall/Luepke Community Cente, Firstenburg Community Center and the Vancouver Tennis and Racquetball Center), and access to city-owned parks and trails will not be restricted. However, some recreation programs and activities will have fee increases in 2010, and the amount of watering at parks may be reduced. Reservation fees will be collected for the picnic shelter at Leverich Community Park, and the picnic shelter planned at Marshall Community Park in summer 2010.
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Was this the first time parks and recreation programs and services have been cut?
No. The city and county have trimmed their parks and recreation budgets repeatedly during this decade, including several times in 2009 alone.
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Why is Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation continuing to acquire, plan and build new parks during these tough times?
The recent budget cuts only affect programs funded through the city or county’s general funds. Money for park, trail and sports field acquisition and development comes from park impact fees, real estate excise taxes and grants. These funding sources have not impacted by recent cuts to the city and county general funds.
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How is the downturn in the local housing market affecting park acquisition and development revenues?
Impact fees and real estate excise taxes are tied to the local housing and development market, so revenue levels have been declining. Current 2009 projections show park impact fee revenue down by 80 percent since 2006, and real estate excise tax revenue down by 70 percent since 2006.
Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation regularly reviews and adjusts its park acquisition and development schedules based on actual revenue levels. In the addition, the department will continue to seek grants and other partnerships.
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Why can't the money for park acquisition and development be used to keep regional parks open in the winter?
According to state law, revenue collected by park impact fees and real estate excise taxes can only be used for park acquisition, planning, design, permitting and construction.
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How can I get more information?
You can e-mail questions to clarkparks@clark.wa.gov, or you can call 360-619-1111, and press zero or hold the line to be transferred to a customer service representative. This Web page will also be updated regularly with current information.
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