Tumwater Metropolitan Park District

TUMWATER METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OFHYBRID MEETING October 17, 2023 Page 1 CONVENE: 6:00 p.m. PRESENT: President Joan Cathey and Boardmembers Michael Althauser, Leatta Dahlhoff, Charlie Schneider, and Eileen Swarthout. Excused: Boardmembers Peter Agabi and Angela Jefferson. Staff: City Administrator Lisa Parks, City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Finance Director Troy Niemeyer, Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Denney, Assistant Finance Director Shelly Carter, Communications Manager Ann Cook, and City Clerk Melody Valiant. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: OCTOBER 18, 2022: MOTION: Boardmember Althauser moved, seconded by Boardmember Dahlhoff, to approve the minutes of October 18, 2022 as published. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. SELECTION OF City Administrator Parks reported each year the Board is required to OFFICERS OF THE elect officers according to the bylaws adopted by Resolution No. 2019- BOARD: 001. By statute, the Finance Director is designated as the Treasurer of the Tumwater Metropolitan Park District (TMPD). The proposed action is for the election of the President and Vice President. City Administrator Parks invited nominations for President of the Board. Boardmember Dahlhoff nominated Joan Cathey to serve as President of the TMPD. Boardmember Swarthout seconded the nomination. No other nominations were offered for the position of President. MOTION: Boardmember Dahlhoff moved, seconded by Boardmember Swarthout, to elect Joan Cathey to serve as President of the TMPD. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. President Cathey invited nominations for Vice Chair of the TMPD. Boardmember Althauser nominated Eileen Swarthout to serve as Vice President of the TMPD. No other nominations were offered. MOTION: Boardmember Althauser moved, seconded by Boardmember Dahlhoff, to elect Eileen Swarthout to the position of Vice President of the TMPD. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. TUMWATER METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OFHYBRID MEETING October 17, 2023 Page 1 RESOLUTION NO. City Administrator Parks advised of the requirement for the Board to TMPD 2023-002, schedule its meetings in 2024. Staff proposes adoption of Resolution SETTING TMPD TMPD 2025-002 establishing the regular meeting as the third Tuesday in REGULAR MEETING November with a starting time of 5:00 p.m. to afford adequate time for DATES: the Board to conduct its business and to avoid the need for a second meeting. Additionally, at the annual meeting of the Board, the Board is required to consider the adoption of a resolution that establishes the tax levy of the next fiscal year. The tax levy is based on valuation data presented to the City by the Thurston County Assessor’s Office. Often, the information is not available until later in October to afford time for staff to prepare the tax levy resolution for the Board’s consideration. Boardmembers discussed potential work hour conflicts with a meeting time beginning at 5 p.m. and the potential of the November meeting conflicting with holiday travel of some Boardmembers during the Thanksgiving holiday. City Administrator Parks advised that a special meeting could be scheduled if conflicts occurred with the scheduled date or meeting time. Boardmember Althauser suggested an alternative meeting time of 5:30 p.m. MOTION: Boardmember Althauser moved, seconded by Boardmember Dahlhoff, to approve the recommended change in meeting time as recommended by Boardmember Althauser and the change in date to reflect the third November in 2024 as proposed by staff. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. TMPD Director Denney reviewed accomplishments by the TMPD in 2023 and ACCOMPLISHMENTS projects projected for completion by the end of 2024. AND PENDING PROJECTS UPDATE: The TMPD presented a specific project proposal to the voters based on feedback from the community. Voters approved increasing taxes for the next 20 years enabling the TMPD to develop a budget and a list of projects. Staff continues to work through the project list including addressing deferred maintenance and parks for the first five years. Work on parks and playground maintenance and safety continues to be an important factor. The proposal included the addition of four new neighborhood parks with playgrounds and some with restrooms, invest in the Deschutes Valley Trail combined with state and other local funds to complete the trail system by 2027, invest both in community and art programs, offer new recreation programs in the City and within the historical properties in the Tumwater Historic District, create a community gardens, add staffing in parks maintenance and recreation, and construct a community center containing meeting and event space, senior services programming, indoor sports courts, and include land for a future public swimming pool. TUMWATER METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OFHYBRID MEETING October 17, 2023 Page 1 Accomplishments in 2023 include funding for two parks maintenance employees focusing on irrigation and landscaping, funding for a recreation position to work on new programs special events, and sponsorships, completion of restrooms at Tumwater Hill Park and Barclift Park, arts programming, completion of Kindred Park, completion of the Trails End Park design, completion of many maintenance projects, initiation of work to begin designing the community center, and working on community gardens. Arts programming include adding an arts program or an arts element to every special event hosted by the City. The department is working on draft bylaws for an Arts Commission scheduled to commence sometime during summer 2024. The Kindred Park project began approximately seven years ago working with the developer and then a subsequent developer to purchase property for a City neighborhood park to serve that area of the City. The City completed the park this year at a cost of approximately $1.34 million for a 2.5-acre neighborhood park. In 2023, the department completed master planning with the Trails End neighborhood park in conjunction with members of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Several neighborhood meetings were conducted. The outcome was positive with many neighbors attending to discuss the park’s design and desired amenities. The master plan design is a typical neighborhood park. The park is large at 10 acres and would include a play toy, restrooms, picnic shelters, basketball and sports courts, a pickleball court, a young children’s pump track, and a mile of trails. The master plan design cost $30,000. The initial budget in the TMPD in 2017 identified a cost for the Trails End Park of $900,000. The proposed master design is anticipated to cost $4 million in current dollars. Staff is exploring funding options such as changing the design to less development, phasing the park, which would increase the cost, or combining the park with anther park project and bonding the costs through the TMPD. Staff plans to explore funding options with the General Government Committee for a recommendation to the City Council. Deferred maintenance included the installation of speed humps in the parking lots at Pioneer Park and Historical Park, replacement of park lights with LED lights, repairs to the gazebo at Historical Park that has been delayed due to permitting issues because of the proximity of the structure to the river, installation of water lines to baseball fields at Pioneer Park, and a plan to extend water lines to the picnic shelter and install drinking fountains. The department continues its work on finalizing a contract with Barker TUMWATER METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OFHYBRID MEETING October 17, 2023 Page 1 Rinker Seacat Architecture, the company selected to complete the community center design. The company has previously worked with the City completing the Public Facilities District project proposal of a community center and more recently with both the City and the City of Olympia on the regional aquatic study. The contract will be forwarded to the General Government Committee for its recommendation to the Council in November. The design process will be a committee-driven process with President Cathey serving on the committee representing the Council along with members of the Parks and Recreation Commission, a representative from the Tumwater School District, representative from City Senior Services at the Old Town Center, and several community members in addition to staff members. Initially, voters were informed that the tax levy would increase from 45 to 75 cents to fund the community center. The Board may need to meet more often next year to discuss financing for the community center. The initial budget of the TMPD included an allocation of $12 million for the community center, which likely will be insufficient to fund the new facility. Director Denney said he and Finance Director Niemeyer are meeting after the City receives data on property tax from the Thurston County Assessor’s Office to fine tune the estimate and discuss options for funding the facility. The community garden project at the church has been successful. The department invested $13,000 in the project. The church successfully constructed several garden spaces. The church produced 253 pounds of food this year and donated the food to the Thurston County Food Bank. The church is adding 10 raised beds and installing an orchard of apple trees. This year, the department is acquiring two new park vehicles for park staff hired in 2021. However, because of supply chain issues and other priorities in the City, the department lacked trucks for the two new positions. The trucks have been ordered. Staff is completing Historical Park lighting replacement as part of deferred maintenance as the parking lights on the historic poles have not worked for many years. The lights will be repaired. Staff is working on trails repairs at the Tumwater Hill Neighborhood Park, finalizing the gazebo repairs, installing roofs on the dugouts at the baseball fields at Pioneer Park, and replacement of the storm system at Pioneer Park as the storm drain along the center of the parking lot has failed from scouring from floods. Staff is seeking a neighborhood park site near Black Hills high school and is hoping to acquire parkland should an opportunity arise. Funds are available for Historic District improvements of approximately $200,000 for either park or historic home improvements. Staff is working on the community center design and the community garden program. The department has been contacted about adding a community garden under the power lines off Capitol Boulevard if there is interest within the community to operate TUMWATER METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OFHYBRID MEETING October 17, 2023 Page 1 the gardens. The biennium budget for TMPD is approximately $7 million with a beginning fund balance of $3,178,830 with expenditures projected of $2.5 million for the biennium for staff and intergovernmental services TMPD receives from other City departments. Boardmember Dahlhoff asked whether during the design of parks, the discussions include ways to accommodate those with neurodivergent issues or accessibility for all ages, as well as providing sensory spaces. She cited a Tumwater business that has contracted with the City of Lacey. Lacey’s events and parks provide spaces for those who are neurodivergent or become overwhelmed but still want to be with their families. She asked whether those issues are addressed during conversations surrounding park design. Director Denney affirmed park design conversations include discussions on different levels of ability but much is dependent upon the size of the space. The Trails End park design includes space for different levels of ability. Some spaces, such as the Kindred Park are more difficulty to include because of the lack of space. Design discussions also include both diversity and accessibility in terms of real accessibility in parks. As the City moves forward in replacing play structures, staff will examine what true accessibility consists of in parks. President Cathey thanked Director Denney for the presentation and accomplishments. Director Denney thanked staff for their efforts to complete many projects. PUBLIC HEARING: RESOLUTION NO. Assistant Director Carter presented the resolution for the 2024 property TMPD 2023-001, AD tax levy for the TMPD. The TMPD is required each year to approve a VALOREM FOR resolution by November 30. Thurston County provides reassessed values REGULAR on all existing properties, new construction, and any annexations. The PROPERTY TAXES estimates are used to compute the annual property tax levy amount. FOR THE Based on the list of accomplishments and future accomplishments, FISCAL YEAR 2024: property tax serves as an important revenue source to support those projects. The TMPD is allowed by law to increase the levy each year either by 1% or by the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD), whichever is less. Typically, the IPD is higher. This year the IPD is 3.67%. The proposed resolution sets the amount of the property levy as the amount provided by Thurston County with an additional 1% over the 2023 levy. The proposed estimate for the property tax levy totals $2 million with the 1% increase equating to an additional $18,763 above last year’s levy. New construction estimated value in 2023 is $227,082.000 providing an additional $72,045 of property tax revenue in 2024. No annexations were added last year. Last year, the assessed property value was lower TUMWATER METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OFHYBRID MEETING October 17, 2023 Page 1 than the previous year resulting in no additional property tax in 2023. The combined 2024 property tax levy including the 1% increase and additional taxes from new construction is used to calculate the indirect tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property value, estimated at 33 cents for 2024. The resolution is necessary to establish and certify the request for the 2024 property tax levy as outlined. The statute requires TMPD to present the resolution at a public hearing. Staff requests that the resolution for the property tax levy be adopted following the public hearing to certify the levy with the county by the November 30, 2023 deadline. Assistant Director Carter invited questions. Boardmember Althauser questioned whether the 1.02% increase in assessed value is reflected as 1% because of the cap the state imposes. Assistant Director Carter explained that the 1.02% is reflective of the change between the 2023 assessed and 2024 assessed value. The 1% represents an increase over last year’s levy. Boardmember Althauser commented that the City and the District have contended with the issue with property tax each year because of the 1% limit. Although assessed value is 1.02%, the gap each year compounds and leads to challenging financial issues. Assistant Director Carter said if the District had a higher level that could be levied but is limited because of the 1%, the District could bank the extra amount. The District has had a cap of 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for the first five years that will end in 2024 and increase to 75 cents. Because of assessed values, the District’s indirect tax rate is only 33 cents. President Cathey opened the public hearing at 6:42 p.m. With there being no public testimony, President Cathey closed the public hearing at 6:42 p.m. MOTION Boardmember Althauser moved, seconded by Boardmember Dahlhoff, to Adopt Resolution No. TMPD 2023-001, a resolution relating to tax revenue of the TMPD fixing the regular property tax levy for the TMPD, for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, President Cathey adjourned the meeting at 6:44 p.m. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net