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INFORMATION
<br /> ►• •\ AMERICAN _'
<br /> PLANNING
<br /> •? U :.._ SEPTEMBER 1998
<br /> A special edition of the PAS Memo published quarterly and devoted to public investment and finance
<br /> • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • }
<br /> Funding Fun: Raising Planning Commission."Government has taken a larger and larger
<br /> role in our lives—from hospital services to welfare,a lot of things
<br /> Non-Tax Dollars for
<br /> that government didn't pay for earlier.Park departments are in
<br /> Urban Parks competition with items that weren't there before.
<br /> But Randy Worls,chief executive officer of the
<br /> By Peter Harnik Wheeling,West Virginia,Park Commission ;
<br /> /� our Tax Dollars at Work" 11�/�j fiat;ri—II p p it;1 /la sees the same situation and draws the
<br /> '�'� -.,� liplialnaltijii co nverse conclusion.Instead of
<br /> Y reads the familiar red, !I ,fl�!�� lamenting the fickleness of
<br /> white,and blue sign alongside 11 e _ 'S'Ifl1�1 �I politicians and taxpayers,he's
<br /> interstate highway projects.A i;i _7 iili:filirsir thankful that parks have
<br /> similar sign in front of a city 1 I -i, — values worth paying for.
<br /> park,however, might soon 3. - ,�,r. "Park systems are one of
<br /> have a different message: �� `A ..e c _ i the few units of
<br /> "Your Fees, Concession ri i k _ 1.. 7,/5-2 7'`j government that can
<br /> Purchases,Advertising — - + i -'? - _ -i .'\ ;•� aid themselves,'
<br /> Revenues, and Donations /,. r- ° ; F __'' " ,,,, r ; explains Worls."We
<br /> at Work." _ i■ � , - J - ;�. think there are tens of
<br /> From New York City to • W . m millions of dollars
<br /> San Francisco,city park , —• r =---. At1.i, A available out there for ts,
<br /> departments are broadening '" ;:1-1T-1,. '—� , = - -.= public park agencies if
<br /> •their funding bases beyond .; .' =-_— --1_-` 1 P --^"' they are structured �.
<br /> the traditional allocations they /.1 ,,.„,.....Y, properly and know how to
<br /> 7 • ask."Worls should know:
<br /> The Chicago Park '• ,,,,,,.,-,,=::, His system brings in 99
<br /> District joins forces with the '= _ : ; t 3 :"� percent of its revenue from non
<br /> Chicago Bulls,AT&T, and other ,� {'" .. ,,�"'° _ , '; � tax sources.
<br /> sponsors to host an annual 3-on-3 , It is the difference between tax-based
<br /> basketball tournament. Marra Morns revenue and total needed revenue that in
<br /> recent years has generated '`
<br /> receive from tax money.In some cases,this new approach has been a flurry of new fund-
<br /> necessitated by municipal funding crises.In others,it's a fear of ark systems are raising techniques.
<br /> impending fiscal shortages.In others,tax-based funding is still
<br /> growing but the needs and demands are growing even faster. one of the few units Fees
<br /> Even in the economically strong late 1990s,when most cities Virtually all city park
<br /> a "
<br /> y g of government that y y P
<br /> have sufficient revenue to balance their budgets,there is a agencies charge fees for
<br /> residual fear from earlier tough years when some park certain activities, but `'
<br /> g y P can aid themselves. 4
<br /> department budgets were slashed,workers laid off,maintenance there is a spectrum of
<br /> deferred,and land acquisitions delayed or eliminated. The There are tens of opinion as to the proper
<br /> Texas, Parks and Recreation Department, for instance, millions of dollars role of fees in agency ,*
<br /> has only recently regained the budget level it held before the budgets.At one extreme
<br /> savings-and-loan collapse rocked the Texas economy in the late available out there is Leon Younger, former 1r ':�
<br /> 1980s.And New York's Park and Recreation Department has for public park director of parks in
<br /> never recaptured the funding level it attained in 1978, before Indianapolis and now a - s
<br /> that city's financial crisis. agencies if they are parks consultant, who
<br /> But the public still loves parks.And if municipal budgets fall structured properly
<br /> outspokenly advocates
<br /> short,other funding mechanisms will be found, including user for market-oriented ,:.
<br /> fees, donations, and corporate promotions. and know how to ask. public recreation.
<br /> "There is nothing wrong 7.`
<br /> •Should You Have to Pay to Play? with placing a value on a recreation experience," says
<br /> "The reality is that city budgets are being asked to cover more and Younger, "but the managers of most urban park systems set .
<br /> more services,"says Alexander Garvin,principal author of Urban their prices for the 20 percent who can't pay rather than for ;
<br /> Parks and Open Space and a member of the New York City the 80 percent who can. By not tying price to value, they as
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