Falling reserves force Parks & Rec cuts

A possible one-two punch on the financial chin has resulted in budget cutbacks for the upcoming fiscal year by the Maryville Parks & Recreation Department.

Parks & Recreation Director Rod Auxier told the City Council this week that a property tax cap enacted by the state Legislature several years ago, combined with the possibility of a $1 increase in the state minimum wage, is forcing the department to reduce spending.

For the current year, which ends Oct. 1, Parks & Rec has operated under a $1.3 million budget. That amount will be trimmed to $1.24 million in 2012-'13. The cuts preclude any new capital projects and could force a reduction in the number wage hours available for part-time employees.

Back in 2009, lawmakers reduced the maximum allowable parks and recreation tax levy in Maryville from 40 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 30 cents.

Maryville residents pay for maintenance and upkeep of the city's parks through a property tax of 28 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and an one-eighth-cent sales tax. Parks & Recreation also charges various program fees, such as those paid by those who use exercise equipment and other facilities at the Maryville Community Center.

In the years since the tax cap, the quasi-independent Parks & Recreation Board, which has the power to act separately from the City Council, has relied on a healthy fund balance to pay for such projects as last year's $80,000 facelift at Wabash Park, which included a new play surface and rebuilt basketball court, and stonework along Peach Creek in Judah Park.

But that reserve is down to around $225,000, Auxier said Monday, and plans to install new playground gear at Franklin Park north of downtown have been scrapped until the department's financial outlook improves.

"We're just not comfortable in taking the fund balance down anymore," Auxier said.

One reason for that is the looming November vote on a minimum wage hike that, if passed, would cost the department around $34,000 at current employment levels.

If voters raise the wage floor to $8.25, Auxier said increased program fees and cutting back on the number of part-time hours may not be enough to make up the difference, which could mean the loss of at least one position from the department's 10-person full-time roster.

Despite the need for austerity, Auxier told the council that Parks & Recreation has sufficient projected revenue to continue providing an acceptable level of service to Maryville residents in a fiscally responsible manner.

"I would say the outlook is not gloomy, but it's not bright and cheery, either," he said.

In an aside to the council following his annual budget report, Auxier noted that extreme heat this summer was likely responsible for smaller numbers at the Maryville Aquatic Center, which served a total of 22,050 patrons, down 1,700 from 2011.

However, the pool had 1,000 more swimmers than in 2010, when extended periods of rain also served to keep bathers out of the water.