City Commission to consider park tax

City leaders are continuing to work toward improving parks and recreation services in Sarasota — and will soon publicly consider plans for a new taxing district to create dedicated funding for parks.

Jerry Fogle, hired in March to fill the newly created position of parks and recreation director, said staff is preparing to present a concept to the City Commission in October. Although finer details regarding the structure of a parks district are still being developed — staff is meeting with city administration and attorneys this month to discuss the topic — it would represent a major step in the city’s recent focus on park improvements.

If a parks district were to come to fruition, it would draw funds from a new, distinct property tax on city residents. Revenues could only be used for parks and recreation purposes.

As the city’s budget trends upward, parks have become a priority. The 2016-17 budget included more than $430,000 in new spending for improving parks, recreation and landscape maintenance. This is a response to citizen input, with multiple neighborhoods listing parks as a primary concern for residents.

“We want to be sure we can meet the needs and aspirations of the community.” — Tom Barwin

“This is Florida,” City Manager Tom Barwin said. “There is year-round activity that leads to healthy living, healthy lifestyles and longevity. We want to be sure we can meet the needs and aspirations of the community.”

Parks districts are relatively common in other states, but that’s not the case in Florida. That doesn’t mean it’s a thorny process. Deputy City Attorney Michael Connolly said creating a parks district would be just like creating other special taxing districts, such as the Downtown Improvement District.

That process just requires City Commission approval, but the board could also let residents vote on a nonbinding referendum.

“There are certain things the commission can do on its own,” Barwin said. “If the wisdom is to put an initiative on the ballot and have the public weigh in, that’s certainly another option.”

Ballot Question

At a July 21 meeting of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Advisory Board, one parks employee indicated staff’s preference was to avoid a referendum.

“(Fogle) has chosen the option where we can go to the commission to take a direct vote and get that passed or failed right away, and then move toward forming an actual parks and recreation district very quickly,” said Mark Hamilton, the city’s supervisor of athletics and recreational facilities.

Some board members agreed, expressing a belief that parks funding should be pursued expeditiously. The advisory board wanted the opportunity to discuss the structure and priorities of a parks district, but those members didn’t question the validity of creating a district via commission vote.

“I agree that if we can do this administratively and not electorally, we’ll be a lot better off,” board member John Tuccillo said. “It gets really messy, because it gets involved with other races and issues.”

“Everybody, as neighborhoods, does have that issue of parks.” — Carl Shoffstall

Other board members took the opposite perspective, expressing a desire to give residents a chance to vote on the parks district. To create the DID, advocates collected signatures from property owners representing 67% of the assessed value within the proposed boundaries. Some parks board members wanted to see similar proof of broad public support.

“What would be the reason, except for expediting it?” board member Laurel Kaiser said. “And I don’t like that answer as being a reason to go for a (commission) vote rather than a referendum.”

Carl Shoffstall, a member of the parks board and the Coalition of City Neighborhood associations, recalled a series of CCNA meetings this year dedicated to sorting out the top priorities for Sarasota neighborhoods. When the organization sorted through the common issues in the neighborhoods, one subject recurred more frequently than any other.

“At the end of that meeting, the No. 1 priority was parks,” Shoffstall said. “Everybody, as neighborhoods, does have that issue of parks, and they want something done with it.”