Summary of June 6 Board of Directors meeting
June 7, 2023
At the June 6 BPRD board of directors meeting, the governing body officially approved the project plan, budget and tax rates for the next fiscal year and approved a new security services contract. A video recording of the meeting is available.
Budget approvals
The board of directors approved the district’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which identifies and summarizes all approved and proposed district capital expenditures and revenue sources for a period of five years into the future. The board of directors revises and adopts the district’s five-year CIP during the annual budget process. The 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Plan totals $63,878,677 in planned capital expenditures. $38,330,850 (60%) is funded with System Development Charge revenues, $21,702,164 (34%) is funded with property tax revenues, and $3,845,663 (6%) is funded with alternative funding.
Next, the board of directors opened a public hearing to discuss the budget for the fiscal year 2023-24. The hearing was closed following no public comment.
The approved 2023-24 Budget was made public May 10, 2023, and presented at the Budget Committee May 23, 2023. The district’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget is a balanced budget with healthy reserves for planned future projects and maintaining assets. The proposed budget is anticipating $48 million in revenues and $58 million in expenditures for total budgeted requirements of $96.8 million, which includes contingencies. This budget will support 290.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and $20.8 million in capital spending.
Revenues for the district are expected to increase by $6.9 million, a 17% increase over last year’s budget due to growth in property taxes and SDCs along with our growing programming make up the increase. Expenditures for the district’s proposed budget are projected to increase by $11.4 million, a 24.6% increase compared to last year’s budget.
Security services contract
For more than a decade, the district has used the services of private security contractors who provide unarmed security personnel to assist district Park Stewards with education and enforcement in parks and facilities and to coordinate with local law enforcement partners. The district completed a competitive procurement process this spring and Trident Professional Security was determined by the evaluation committee to provide the most advantageous offer for the district. The board approved the contract through June 30, 2025.
Park Services and vegetation management
In work session, staff provided an overview of the he Park Services department, which is composed of five divisions: landscape, facilities, natural resources and trails, stewardship and fleet with nearly 71 full time equivalent staff members.
The busy team is responsible for:
- 196 acres of grass mowed weekly
- Supply of 1.7 million dog waste bags
- Removal of snow from 82 sites and trails when it snows 2 inches or more
- 1,160 labor hours and nearly $36,000 spent on vandalism clean-up
- Maintaining 111 miles of trail and sidewalks
Following the overview, staff shared information about management of over 3,000 acres of diverse vegetation, ranging from turf and annual flower beds to forested and sagebrush landscapes. Details of the vegetation management guidelines begin on page 8 of the agenda packet.
The next board meeting is a special call meeting with the City of Bend on June 14 from 4-5 pm at the BPRD District Office.
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