PRECA 07-02-1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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,i J 5~ !/ µ~M_ • auASEr couNi r DATE June 18, 1980 _ aK To Board of Ramsey County Commissioners ~~~ !~~ FROM Margaret Thorpe, Executive Assistant Planning & Development ~ ~~~ sue~ECT:position Paper on Maintenance and Operations Funding for Regional Park System As requested by the Policy & Planning Committee at its June 16 meeting, I have worked with Tony Crea, Bernard Edmonds, Larry Holmberg and Ken Simons of the Parks and Recreation Department to develop a position paper for presentation by the Board at the June 26 Metropolitan. Council hearing on its proposed Recreation Open Space Development Guide Policy Plan. Attached is the draft statement we have prepared; also attached is a copy of • the proposed Recreation Open Space Development Guide - Policy Plan. The per- tinent section which we have addressed in the draft statement begins on page 37 of the Metropolitan Council documents. We have sought to reflect your concerns as indicated at both the Policy & Planning Committee and the Public Works and Recreation Committee meetings of last week. I~ summary, the statement requests that Metropolitan Council pursue statewide or regional non-property tax revenues for support of regional maintenance and operat costs and notes that prompt action is required if development is to proceed as planned. ' In reviewing this statement, you may wish to take into consideration the following additional issues: 1) Statewide or regionwide funding will mean the establishment of metropolitan maintenance and operations standards, thus lessening Ramsey County's ability to make its own determinations. In transferring the responsibility for financing to another level of government, we will also transfer some of our freedom to make decisions. Nevertheless, because we do serve as the implemen ing agency fora metropolitan system, standards will still be developed even if the counties remain the sole funding source. You may wish to review some of the management principles outlined in the proposed Policy Plan, which begi on page 41, to get a sense of the direction in which such standards are likel to go. . 2) It is important that statewide or regional funding be tied to use of non- property tax resources, as it is quite possible that a regionwide property tax levy would increase, not decrease, the burden upon at least some Ramsey County taxpayers. Referring to the Council's data on pages 10 and 11 of the