Overview of Proposed Marin County Parks Budgets for FY 2015-16

Overview of

Proposed

Marin County Parks

Budgets

for FY 2015-16

March 19, 2015

• Marin County Parks staff develops separate budgets

for

o Measure A

o Marin County Open Space District

o Parks, including Landscape Services and County Integrated

Pest Management Program (All funded by County General

Fund)

o 7 County Service Areas

o 1 Lighting and Landscaping District

B U D G E T D E V E L O P M E N T P R O C E S S

2.

• 2 general types of expenditures

o Fixed Expenditures (salaries for full time,

non-term positions, benefits, supplies,

equipment, utilities, etc.)

o Functional Area Expenditures

• Project expenditures (A one time,

limited duration expenditure; could

be for project planning, design,

permitting, environmental review

and/or construction)

• Staff expenditures - Measure A only.

(Salaries, benefits, etc. for term

positions that are associated with

functional areas identified in

Measure A )


3.

• Sources of Proposed Projects and

Service Enhancements

o Parks and Open Space Strategic Plan

o Other plans such as Road and Trail

Management Plan, Vegetation and

Biodiversity Management Plan, other

approved and current park master plans

o Public input

o Staff knowledge of issues and needs

• Selection and Prioritization of

Proposed Projects and Service

Enhancements

o Proposed expenditures undergo a

rigorous review

o Collaborative process involving all

managers and multiple meetings


4.

• Selection Criteria for Proposed

Projects and Service Enhancements

o Detailed Project Description (why,

what, how much, how many, etc.)

o Project/Service Category • Road and Trail Management

• Vegetation Management (includes fire fuel reduction)

• Wildlife Management

• Wetland Protection and Restoration

• Real Property Acquisition and Administration

• Visitor Services and Community Engagement

• Slope and Drainage Management

• Park, Landscape or CSA Facility and

Infrastructure Management

• Open Space Facility and Infrastructure Management


5.

• Selection Criteria for Proposed

Projects and Other Expenditures

(cont.)

o Duration of Expenditure

• One time (could be multi-year)

• Annual or ongoing

o Selection Criteria (weighted)

• Priority in current, approved plan

• Engages volunteers

• Removes, reduces threat to health,

safety

• Legal mandate

• Grant or other outside funding

• Board priority

• Project is already underway


6.

o Selection Criteria (continued)

• Generates revenues or leads to

savings, efficiency

• Removes or reduces threat to natural

or cultural resources

• Engages underserved communities

(Measure A only)

• Contributes to community health

and wellness (Measure A only)

• Contributes to increasing visitor

diversity (Measure A only)


7.

• Measure A budget complements budgets for Parks,

Open Space, Landscape Services, Integrated Pest

Management, and CSAs

• Department’s approach to Measure A funding

o All functional area expenditures

o Measure A has its own budget, to facilitate tracking of

expenditures and reporting to the Community Oversight

Committee and the public.

o Measure A funding is for projects and service enhancements

beyond the capacity of existing staff and financial

resources. However, certain work can be justifiably funded

by either Measure A or a different budget.


8.

• Department’s approach to Measure A funding (cont.)

o New staff positions funded by Measure A are fixed term

positions, as the tax will expire in 7 years.

o In general, few projects requested by CSAs are funded,

except for urgent, minor repairs that cannot be funded by

the CSA’s own budget. Replacement or major renovation of

CSA capital facilitieswill have to be funded by a substantial

match from CSA budgets or other sources.

o Leveraging Measure A funds with grants is a high priority,

especially for capital projects.

o In FY 2015-16, majority of Measure A funds used to renovate,

maintain, and replace deteriorating infrastructure and

facilities in parks. Open Space budget is funding the majority

of vegetation management and road and trail

management projects in FY 2015-16.


9.

FY 2015-16

Measure A Budget 10.

• Parks and Open Space Program ($9.6

million)

o Protect Natural Resources, Maintain

Existing Parks and Open Space

Preserves, Provide Visitor Services ($8.2

million)

o Preserve New Natural Lands ($1.4 million)

• City, Town and Special District

Program ($2.1 million)

o All funds disbursed in fiscal year pursuant

to agreement with each entity

M E A S U R E A : S U M M A R Y O F P R O P O S E D F Y 2 0 1 5 - 1 6

B U D G E T

11.

• Farmland Preservation Program ($1.6

million)

o Expenditures authorized by Board of

Supervisors on case by case basis per

agreement with grantee.

o Funds not used in one fiscal year carry

over to the next

M E A S U R E A : S U M M A R Y O F P R O P O S E D F Y 2 0 1 5 - 1 6

B U D G E T

12.

M E A S U R E A : P R O P O S E D F Y 2 0 1 5 - 1 6 E X P E N D I T U R E S -

P A R K S A N D O P E N S P A C E P R O G R A M

13.

Functional Area Expenditures - Projects

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT: $318,000

Location Project or Purpose Notes

Open Space

and Parks – System Wide

flashy fuel reduction

in preserves and parks, broom removal

Work performed by Conservation

Corps North Bay at trail heads and street ends as well as broom removal from edges of Ladybug Trail, King Mountain Loop Trail, others.

Open Space –

System wide Early Detection,

Rapid response Program

To control or eradicate pioneer

populations of invasive plants to prevent their spread



14.


ROAD AND TRAIL MANAGEMENT: $340,000


Loma Alta Preserve

Reroute of “The Plunge”

Construction, road decommissioning, weed eradication and revegetation

RTMP Regions 1, 2

Implementation of projects emerging from trail

designation process

Projects are currently undetermined

Open Space – System Wide

illegal trail eradication

Affects only unauthorized trails not included in the November 2011 Road

and Trail Assessment. Does not affect social trails as defined in the RTMP

Alto Bowl / Horse Hill

Preserve

Construct new, multi-use trail to

bypass existing “Gas Line” trail

Planning and permitting only. Construction planned for FY 2016-17



15.


ROAD AND TRAIL MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Open Space – System Wide

2 half time Maintenance

Equipment Operators for 6 months

Will perform routine, seasonal, road and trail maintenance work,

including gates and other infrastructure


WETLAND PROTECTION AND RESTORATION: $350,000


McInnis Park marsh restoration Environmental review and permitting for plans developed in FY 14-15



16.


OPEN SPACE FACILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT:

$80,000


Open Space – System - Wide

Inclusive Access Plan

Document production, environmental review

Open Space –Multiple

Dog Waste Pickup Contracted service



17.


VISITOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: $599,600


Not applicable Annual Report and Measure A audit

Parks – Multiple On-call Sheriff’s Deputies

For holiday crowds in parks and for enforcement on Mill Valley – Sausalito

Multi-Use Path

Not applicable Parks Volunteer Program supplies

Parks and Open Space – System-Wide

Marin County Parks Interpretive Plan

Implementation of one or more projects, programs or initiatives associated with the interpretive plan.



18.


VISITOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (cont.)


Not applicable Road and Trail Management Plan:

Continued implementation of designation process: meeting costs, geotechnical assessments of proposals

Parks and Open Space – System-Wide

Sign Plan Continued fabrication and installation of new sign system in parks and preserves.

Not applicable Community Grant Program

Grants to external partner organizations to overcome barriers to participation in department’s programs and visitation to its lands

Not applicable Roving Ranger Program

Cost sharing for a “Roving Ranger” Program as an outreach tool, in partnership with the Tamalpais Lands Collaborative.



19.


PARK, LANDSCAPE AND CSA FACILITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND

MANAGEMENT: $4,779,825


McNears Beach

Pier repairs Repairs include foundation, deck, and railing. This expenditure will take the project through completion.

McNears Beach

Master plan implementation

Design and engineering for a priority project emerging from the master plan

John F. McInnis Master plan implementation

Construct dog park, renovate play fields, and construct accessibility improvements

Paradise Beach

Pier repairs Repairs to railing, kick curb and decking



20.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Paradise Beach

New playground Design for new playground

Paradise Beach

Pier repair Engineering, plans, specifications, environmental review , permitting, and

bid documents

Stafford Lake Refuse transfer station relocation

Relocation necessary to implement master pan



21.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Stafford Lake Master plan

implementation Design for new playground

Stafford Lake Master plan implementation

Design for one project emerging from Stafford Lake Master Plan

Stafford Lake Erosion control Planning, design, permitting, and

construction to alleviate head cutting. Not related to the bike park.



22.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Buck’s Landing Temporary improvements to

open new county park to public use

Expenditure dependent on donation of property to county. First addition to

county park system in over 30 years

Pueblo Park

(CSA 18) Tennis court

resurfacing Matching contribution from CSA 18

Rocky Graham Park (Marin City CSD)

Park maintenance Part time seasonal assistant to maintain new park



23.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Parks – Multiple Water

Conservation and Management Initiative

Improvements to irrigation and other

water distribution infrastructure Civic Center Lagoon, McNears Beach, Stafford Lake, Paradise Beach, and John F. McInnis

Parks - Multiple Turf Renovation Initiative

Renovation of ball fields and lawns at McNears Beach, Stafford Lake, Paradise Beach, John F. McInnis, and Village Green

Parks – Multiple Tree pruning and hazard tree removal

McNears Beach, Stafford Lake, Paradise Beach, Civic Center, John F. McInnis, Miller Point, Village Green,

Black Point, Tam Valley, Forest Knolls, Bel Marin Keys, Agate Beach



24.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Parks – Multiple Site Furnishing

Improvement Initiative

Replacement of worn out park

benches, barbecues, picnic tables, water fountains, waste containers, etc.

Parks – Multiple Building and Bathroom Repair Initiative

Repairs to occur at McNears Beach, Stafford Lake, Paradise Beach, and Civic Center Lagoon Parks

Parks - Multiple Fence Repair Initiative

Repair, replace, or construct new fence for safety, to protect natural resorces and to delineate pathways at McNears Beach, Stafford Lake, White House Pool, Agate Beach and Village

Green Park



25.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Parks – Multiple Paving Repair Initiative

Work to be performed at McNears Beach, Paradise Beach, Civic Center

Lagoon, Point Reyes Playground, Forest Knolls

Parks - Multiple Sports court repairs Repair of sports courts at Bolinas and Forest Knolls Parks

Parks - Multiple Playground Surfacing Safety

Initiative

Replace deteriorated playground surfacing at Stafford lake Park, Forest

Knolls Park, and Point Reyes Playground



26.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Parks - Multiple Parking Lot Restriping Initiative

Repaint curbs and striping at McNears Beach Park and Miller Point Boat

Launch

Parks - Multiple Fence Repair Initiative

Repair, replace, or construct new fence for safety, to protect natural resorces and to delineate pathways at

McNears Beach, Stafford Lake, White House Pool, Agate Beach and Village Green Park

Parks – Multiple 8 Seasonal Assistants to work in parks

Perform maintenance and visitor services



27.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Mill Valley – Sausalito Multi-Use Path

Path rehabilitation Planning to rehabilitate substantial portion of path, with funding from Marin County DPW and Transportation

Authority of Marin .


Safety improvements

Regulatory and directional signs, pathway markings and surface treatments.


Bridge railing replacement

Replace deteriorated railings on 4 bridges to meet code requirements and eliminate hazards

Stafford Lake –

Novato Bike Path

Path paving and

restoration Continuation of multi-year project.

Design, engineering and construction related to retaining wall and paving failures.



28.



MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Not applicable Replacement of Landscape Services operations building

Existing facility at Civic Center Lagoon Park is 45 years old and does not meet accessibility and other building code requirements. New facility would

include offices for resource management staff and a native plant nursery run by volunteers.

Not applicable On-call grant writer

Identify grant sources and support preparation of grant applications to leverage Measure A funds.



29.

Functional Area Expenditures – Staff

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

Position Notes

1 Vegetation and Fire Ecologist, fixed term (existing position)

Lead implementation of Vegetation and Biodiversity Management Plan (VBMP)

2.75 Resource Specialists, fixed term (existing positions)

Support implementation of VBMP RTMP projects; non-native, invasive weed control; Ring Mountain Habitat Restoration Project; Wildlife Picture

Index Project; Resource Management and Volunteer Program coordination; native plant nursery.



30.


WETLAND PROTECTION AND RESTORATION

Position Notes

0.5 Open Space Planner, fixed term (existing position)

Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project Coordinator



31.


ROAD AND TRAIL MANAGEMENT

Position Notes

1 Maintenance Equipment Operator, fixed term. (existing position)

Implements project emerging from Road and Trail Management Plan



32.


VISITOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Position Notes

4 Open Space Rangers, fixed term

(existing positions)

Increases ranger presence in open

space preserves for visitor assistance, environmental education and code enforcement.

1 Park Ranger, fixed term (existing

position)

Enables department to base a ranger

in west Marin to cover Agate Beach, Upton Beach, Chicken Ranch Beach, Stinson Beach Village Green, Bolinas Park, White House Pool, Vedanta Trail.

1 Volunteer Coordinator, fixed term (existing position)

Assigned to parks to enable increased community participation in volunteer opportunities.



33.


VISITOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Position Notes

1 Media Specialist, fixed term (existing position)

Supports communications functions related to print, social media, the department’s website, document accessibility, and online services.



34.


PARK, LANDSCAPE AND CSA FACILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

MANAGEMENT

Position Notes

2 Landscape Architects, fixed term (existing positions)

Enables implementation of master planning and park renovation projects funded by Measure A.

1 Water and Irrigation Management

Specialist, fixed term (existing position)

1 Integrated Pest Management Specialist, fixed term (existing position)

Supports County’s Integrated Pest Management Program



35.


ADMINISTRATION

Position Notes

1 Senior Secretary, fixed term (existing position)

1 Administrative Services Technician, fixed term (existing position)

FY 2015-16

Open Space District Budget 36.

• Estimated revenues: $6,465,184

• Use of reserves $2,105,238

• Total expenditures: $8,570,422

• Fixed expenditures: $5,272,349

• Functional area expenditures: $1,888,073

• Vehicle Replacement Fund: $860,000

• Self-Insurance Fund: $500,000

• Trails Legacy Fund $50,000

• Total expenditures: $8,570,422

O P E N S P A C E D I S T R I C T : P R O P O S E D F Y 2 0 1 5 - 1 6

E X P E N D I T U R E S

37.

• Use of Unallocated Reserves

o Starting FY 2015-16 with $4.9 million unallocated

reserves

o $2.1 million used to balance budget, leaving $2.8

million

• $1.36 million set aside for vehicle replacement

and insurance purposes

• $640K used for high priority land stewardship

expenditures

o Staff capacity exists to perform the additional work



38.

• Vehicle Replacement Fund

o 49: Total number of vehicles in the OSD fleet

o 0: Vehicles purchased in the 4-year period 2010

through 2013, despite new staff.

o 67,064: Average mileage of the 32 vehicles in

service that were purchased between 1990 and

2009

o 30: Percentage of vehicles purchased between

1990 and 2009 that are still in service have mileage

in excess of 100,000

o 65: Percentage of the fleet that is 6 years old or

older



39.

• Vehicle Replacement Fund

o Replacements to existing fleet will be paid from this

fund

o Vehicles added to the fleet will continue to be

budget line items. When it is time to replace them,

funding will come from the Vehicle Replacement

Fund



40.

• Self-Insurance Fund

o County’s self-insurance and OSD’s special liability

insurance takes effect at $1,000,000

o Balance since 2008 has been $500,000

o Additional allocation of $500,000 necessary to fully

fund the fund



41.

• Trail Legacy Fund

o Annual set aside established in 2007 to be used to

purchase trail easements and fund trail

improvements.

o OSD contributions matched dollar for dollar by

county



42.



43.

Functional Area Expenditures

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT: $686,677


Blithedale Summit

Fuelbreak maintenance

Multiple Establishment of long-term

vegetation monitoring plots

Start of system to monitor different vegetation types

Multiple Research grants $10K to facilitate research in preserves. Could be used for purposes other than vegetation

management

Not applicable Grasslands mapping To refine existing vegetation mapping

data



44.


VEGETATION MANAGEMENT (cont.)


Gary

Giacomini

Fire fuel reduction Continuation of broom reduction in

wildland-urban interface

Not applicable Vegetation and Biodiversity Management Plan

Prepare response to comments, finalize EIR, and document production

Camino Alto Phase V fuel reduction

Lucas Valley 680 Trail mitigation Fulfillment of permit and mitigation

requirements related to control and eradication of invasive weeds



45.




Multiple Annual barbed goatgrass control

Multi-year expenditure to control invasive that is a threat to local agriculture

Multiple Wide area fuelbreak maintenance

Follow-up maintenance (hand pulling) at Camino Alto and Blithedale Summit

Not applicable Fire history

reconstruction

Data gathering and database

establishment to create comprehensive fire history of preserves and track future occurrences

Multiple Hazard tree removal Due to sudden oak death



46.




Bolinas Lagoon Kent Island Habitat Restoration Project

For expenditures not covered by grant including pump replacement, PVC pipe.

Multiple Grazing monitoring Monitor grasslands pre and post 2015 grazing season to determine carrying capacity for 2016

Multiple Grazing

management Costs for seasonal assistant to run

goats, sheep and cattle at Mt. Burdell and Roy’s Redwoods, livestock rental, and supplemental feed

Not applicable Native plant nursery Establish new nursery to replace existing at Lucas Valley Yard as

source of plants for revegetation



47.




Multiple Spring and winter weed removal

Removal of high priority species, based on VBMP

Multiple Invasive species

control planning Software and data sharing expenses

for multi-agency weed mapping, prioritization, and control effort



48.


ROAD AND TRAIL MANAGEMENT: $527,996


Gary Giacomini

Manzanita Fire Rd. maintenance

Improvements to reduce erosion

Gary Giacomini

Fire road maintenance

Sediment removal at culverts, maintenance of Conifer, E. Sylvestris, Buckeye and hunt Camp Fire Roads

San Pedro Mountain /

Heron Hill

Entry improvements

Terra Linda / Sleepy Hollow

Irving Fire Road, Fox Lane Trail maintenance

Infrastructure repair, maintenance, replacement



49.




Blithedale Summit

Glen Fire Road improvements

Blithedale Summit

Piedmont Trail improvements

Includes new wooden bridge

King Mountain Citron Fire Road improvements

Cascade Canyon

Toyon and Creekside Fire Road Improvements

Implementation of plans developed in previous fiscal year



50.




Not applicable Equipment rental fees

For road and trail maintenance and improvement projects

Multiple Fire road maintenance

Grading at multiple locations to be determined in spring 2016

Not applicable Monitoring of open source road and trail maps

Multiple Fire road maintenance – vehicle access

Pruning at road edges to maintain access



51.




Loma Alta Smith Ridge and Gunshot Fire Road

Improvements


Multiple French Ranch and Dickson Ridge Fire Road improvements


Not applicable Geotechnical serves On-call contract for unplanned events and damage

Indian Tree Deer Camp and Deer Camp Cutoff

Trail Improvements




52.




Mt. Burdell Fire Road Assessments

Assess Creekside, Deer Camp, and Cobblestone Fire Roads, identify and prioritize improvement projects for

next fiscal year

Multiple Routine trail maintenance



53.


WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: $118,300


Cascade Canyon

Fish Surveys In San Anselmo Creek

Mt. Burdell Biotic assessments Includes badger and mesocarnivore studies to address data gaps

Multiple Wildlife Picture Index Continuation and expansion of pilot project

Multiple Annual owl, rail, and songbird monitoring



54.


SLOPE AND DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT: $129,600


Bolinas Lagoon Tide gauge Annual cost for maintenance of gauge and data collection.

Bald Hill Sky Ranch restoration

Erosion control, entry barrier improvements, vegetation

management

Multiple Infrastructure maintenance

As needed for slope repair, erosion control, storm damage repair, including dump fees.

Multiple Erosion repair services and

supplies



55.


VISITOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: $325,500


Bolinas Lagoon Annual State of the Lagoon Conference

For displays and other conference costs

Not applicable Equipment for new vehicles

Not applicable Replacement of 5 all-terrain vehicles

Not applicable Volunteer program supplies, equipment, and seasonal

support



56.


VISITOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (cont.)


Not applicable Communications expenditures

Design and production services, supplies, and maps

Not applicable Interpretive plan implementation

For educational materials and other communications/outreach in support of Interpretive Plan

Multiple On-Call Sheriff’s Deputy

For coverage in preserves when regular Sheriff’s Deputy is not on duty



57.


REAL PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION: $100,000


Multiple Encroachment resolution Initiative

To fund expenses associated with resolution of encroachments, including surveys, title searches, and appraisals

FY 2015-16

Parks Budget, including Landscape services

58.

• Parks budget follows a process prescribed by the

County Administrator (CAO) for most county

departments, as the Parks and Landscape Services

divisions are funded by the county General Fund.

• Baseline budget is established and changes can be

made only with approval of CAO through “budget

change proposals” (BCPs) and “unforeseen budget

requests”

• Marin County Parks has much more control over the

Open Space and Measure A budgets, and follows a

“zero based budgeting” approach.

P A R K S : P R O P O S E D F Y 2 0 1 5 - 1 6 E X P E N D I T U R E S

59.

• Baseline budget $5,630,170

• Expenditure reduction ($0)

• Approved budget increase $194,805

• Total expenditures $5,824,975

• Anticipated revenues $2,075,587

• Net county cost $3,749,388

• Total expenditures $5,824,975

* Best available information

P A R K S : P R O P O S E D F Y 2 0 1 5 - 1 6 E X P E N D I T U R E S *

60.

Overview of

Proposed

Marin County Parks

Budgets

for FY 2015-16

May 19, 2015

Documents

Overview of Proposed Marin County Parks Budgets for FY 2015-16