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The King County Parks and Recreation Division has embraced extraordinary change and innovation in the last year. A major funding crisis in 2002 gave King County the chance to reflect on the ways the parks system serves its users, and the impetus to put into place a tremendous number of new business practices and efficiencies.
By early 2003, the Parks Division had transferred dozens of local, in-city parks and pools, saving millions of dollars. These facilities remain open under new ownership or operating agreements. Entrepreneurial ventures like the summer concert series at Marymoor Park, which may generate as much as $300,000 annually, were and continue to be pursued. The division's budget and staffing levels were reduced by 35 percent, and user fees were increased to reflect the cost of providing service.
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"...On top of creating a great new summertime concert site, King County expects to make as much as $400,000 from the 19 concerts scheduled this season. Now that's your government at work"
-Seattle Times
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The blueprint for this transformation is the Parks Business Plan, which was developed by King County Executive Ron Sims and the Parks Division based on the work of two citizen groups and an unprecedented outreach program involving thousands of citizens. Unveiled in June 2002, the plan embraced a broad new, entrepreneurial approach to doing business and outlined fundamental changes in policy and operations. The plan involved focusing on the division's regional assets and seeking out new ways to generate money through partnerships, fees, naming rights, advertising and concessions.
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"...The Marymoor amphitheater will generate revenue for King County Parks and reduce dependence on general taxes during lean economic times."
-Seattle Post Intelligencer
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King County's regional parks system is vast in scope, including more than 25,000 acres of parks and open space and more than 100 miles of regional trails. By putting the Business Plan into action, the dependence of this incredible parks system on general taxes is now greatly reduced. Funding challenges remain for the Parks Division, but the significant progress to date in reshaping the parks system through the Business Plan has built a strong foundation on which the legacy of our regional parks system can be preserved.
Below are the fundamental recommendations in the Business Plan and how the Parks Division responded in 2003.
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2002 Business Plan Recommendations
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2003 Actions
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- Focus on key regional assets such as Marymoor Park, the Fair Grounds, and the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, not funding parks and pools inside cities.
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- A major summer concert series, Concerts at Marymoor, was signed that will bring major musical acts to the park this summer, while generating as much as $300,000 in net revenue annually for King County Parks operations.
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- Transferring or mothballing facilities inside cities will save as much as $6.2 million of the $9.1 million needed to meet the Division's 2003 budget.
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- 9 of 10 in-city pools remained open to the public under transfer or operating agreements, keeping them open for the public and saving the County more than $5 million. Negotiations on the remaining pool, Auburn, are ongoing and progressing.
- 12 in-city parks were transferred to cities. 10-12 more parks transfers are pending and expected to be completed in the first half of 2003.
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- Continue to operate parks and pools in areas of the County outside city limits, as well as regional trails, regional passive-use parks and open space and ecologically important lands (which include forests, agricultural lands, critical wildlife habitat and open space).
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- On May 20, 2003 voters will be asked to vote on a 4 year, 4.9-cent parks levy to support parks, open space and regional trails maintained by King County. The proposal would cost the owner of a $250,000 house $12.25 a year. The levy revenue would be used for maintenance activities in regional and rural parks including maintenance of trails, ball fields, and sports courts; cleaning of bathrooms and litter removal. These activities have been curtailed as a result of recent budget cuts.
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- Develop the ability to charge fees at parks and pools that more closely reflect the true cost of a service or activity.
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- New user fees, consistent with Task Force recommendations, were effective in January 2003.
- A $1 parking fee was implemented at Marymoor Park in February 2003 and has generated over $66,000 to date.
- A partnership with Serve Our Dog Areas to sell six-month parking passes for Marymoor has generated more than $2,000 for the organization, which will go back into stewardship of the off-leash dog area, and increased its membership by nearly 90.
- A comprehensive public outreach strategy was developed to keep stakeholders informed of the King County Parks transformation.
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- Shift capital dollars to help enhance revenue generation.
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- Parks sponsorship deals have been proposed to both local and national companies.
- An advertising sales plan is in development to provide additional sponsorship revenues at appropriate County facilities.
- In the fall of 2002, an independent group formed a non-profit foundation, Friends of King County Parks, to support King County Parks. The Group has since changed its name to Northwest Parks Foundation and broadened its focus to include parks facilities and King County and the Northwest.
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- Develop association and operations partnerships with youth sports groups to operate ball fields and other active recreation facilities for public benefit at little or no taxpayer expense. (Recommended by the Active Sports Youth Recreation Commission)
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- King County has $600,000 available in its 2003 budget for grants to user groups under the Association Development Operating Partnerships (ADOP) Program. The ADOP Program is a community based program whereby user groups help enhance King County park and recreation facilities by developing and/or maintaining park and recreation facilities. The County Council recently approved the programs guidelines and criteria and the Division will begin implementing the program immediately. King County Parks is negotiating agreements with several user groups to help enhance King County facilities, while reducing maintenance costs.
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- The plan also recommends that the county code be changed to allow the Division to engage in the full range of activities described in the business plan
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- The Omnibus Parks Ordinance was passed providing greater flexibility to Parks in generating non-tax revenue and setting user fees, among other changes.
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- Embrace entrepreneurial approach to doing business and incorporate ways to slow the cash burn across the division.
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- The Parks 2003 budget was cut by more than $9 million (35%) and included the elimination of more than 85 positions.
- An employee cost-saving team was formed and is now implementing its ideas.
- A Nationwide Request for Proposals (RFP) for public- private ventures was issued in November 2002. RFP’s were successful at catalyzing new ventures and the County is working on re-issuing RFPs to obtain additional public-private ventures geared to bring appropriate amenities and recreational opportunities to Parks while providing operating revenue.
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