4.9. SR 06-30-1997~'ity of
iver
MEMORANDUM
Item # 4.9.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor & City Council
Pat Klaers, City ~trator
June 26, 1997
Park and Recreation Bond Referendum
For the most part, I will provide the Council with a verbal update on how
things are progressing with this bond referendum.
Briefly I would like to advise the Council that there was a Committee
meeting held with the staff on 6/26/97 to discuss the information that the
Commission presented to the Council at the June 16th meeting. The
proposal you saw on June 16th is going to change. The Commission is
meeting on July 9th with Decision Resources representatives and our bonding
counsel. The goal is to establish the maximum amount for the bond
referendum and identify steps, and a time frame for the steps, that need to be
taken in order to have success in September for the park and recreation
referendum. It should be noted that we are not tied in to a September 9th
election date and that it is most likely that the election will be on September
23, 1997.
Much like the community center desired by the public cannot be constructed
with the amount of money the public is willing to pay; the Park and
Recreation Commission also cannot give the public everything they support
for the amount of money they are willing to pay. Accordingly, I think that
some items identified in the survey as desirable will not be in the bond
referendum so that we can ensure that sufficient funds are available to make
an impact in the areas that are going to be included in the proposal. The
June 16th handout had $1.8 million for outdoor recreation activities. This
excluded the pool and also excluded any "soft" costs that are associated with
improvement projects. The survey indicated that the public would support
about $22-$23 as a tax increase for outdoor recreation. This would generate
about $2-$2.1 million. Accordingly, I think that we will see the outdoor
recreation proposal increase by $250,000 or so and include the city share for
the Lion's Park teen center. Furthermore, we may see no funds being applied
to a riverwalk because $100,000 will make a very minor impact on a
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
downtown riverwalk project and these funds can have a much bigger impact
on neighborhood parks and trails.
The pool question will be a separate issue and will stand alone. It will be the
second question on the referendum and the votes for the pool issue will only
get counted if the outdoor recreation issue is successful. If the outdoor
recreation issue is defeated, the pool votes are not even considered. It is
anticipated that if the public is going to support a pool they are going to want
a high quality pool. If this means $1.3 million, then that is the amount that
the Commission will recommend the Council put forward to the public. If a
high quality pool can be done for only $800,000, then likewise, this will be
the amount the Commission will recommend the Council put forward to the
public.
Overall, it was the goal to have the outdoor recreation and the pool be under
$30 per average household. We may be approaching $35 if the pool is going
to end up needing to be $1.3 million for what the public desires.
All of the above comments are offered in a very preliminary fashion. A
formal presentation to the Council is expected either on July 14th or July 21st.
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