City of Jackson Takes A Major Step For Parks and Recreation

Wednesday, 10 January 2007 04:28

City of Jackson Takes A Major Step For Parks and Recreation

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The Council reviewed the request of the Amador Co. Little League East to place fundraising sponsorship signs on the Aime Field Fence. According to a letter from Fund Raising Committee Chairman Mark Lackowski, “…the Amador Co. Little League is trying to come up with ways to raise money for the league…my plan this year is to ask local businesses for help in sponsoring…The league’s thought is to sell “sponsorship” signs to local businesses that would like to have their business name displayed year around.” The signage Lackowski suggested would be permanent and would be 2 feet by 8 feet in size and the monies earned from the “sponsorship” signs would be used to purchase “much needed safety equipment” and make some field upgrades. City Manager Mike Daly introduced the item and said that the City recognizes that youth sports organizations are always struggling to make their financial needs, but in the past the City has discouraged the placement of advertising on City property to benefit any one particular organization. He also pointed out that similar requests have been turned down in the past and that the Amador County Little League (ACLL) East is not the only organization to use the field, so by allowing one organization to put up signs it could set precedence for all organizations in the future. City Council persons had several questions pertaining to the request, but unfortunately a representative of ACLL East was not available.

“I was rather hoping someone would be here to advocate…We have a story that is incomplete from my point of view, but I don’t want to turn them down cold and not offer another avenue,” said Council woman RosaLee Pryor-Escamilla. Mayor Drew Stidger suggested that ACLLEast have banners made that can be put up during the little league games and then taken down afterwards and stored somewhere, instead of having signs that would stay on the field fence all year round. It was decided that options like this could be discussed with a ACLL East representatives, as well as other possible avenues of revenue through ACRA. Staff was directed to work with Amador County Little League East, while sticking to the City’s current policy of not allowing advertising on City property.

Also to appear before the Council Monday was a resolution increasing the City’s Park Impact Mitigation Fee. At their December 12th Meeting the City Council adopted the Amador Co. Park and Recreation Master Plan and directed staff to advertise a public hearing to consider increasing the development impact mitigation fee for park and recreation facilities from $1,088 to $4,300 per residential dwelling unit. This amount was developed from a Nexus study and the amount was recommended for adoption by the Amador Co. Recreation Agency Board of Directors by all public entities. According to a memo from ACRA Executive Director Tracey Towner-Yep the ACRA board recommended increasing the fee to $4,300 rather than the Nexus Study’s full funding amount of $8,670 per unit.

According to City Manager Mike Daly, “The proposed increase would establish a uniform rate for all new residential units and leave the current commercial and professional office rates at their existing 10 cents per square foot and 68 cents per square foot… (as) The non residential rates were not updated in the 200 Nexus Plan.” Daly also said that a five acre park costs about 2.44 million dollars, and in coordination with the study a fee of $5,843 per dwelling unit would be required if developers were to pay for a 5 acre park per every 1,000 people.

Mayor Stidger suggested that instead of adopting the minimum fee of $4,300 the City adopt a fee of $5,850 so that the city would not to find other funding sources to complete the park and that it would be fully funded by developers fees. “We should be raising the bar here, set an example for the County and adopt the $5850,” he said. However, Council woman RosaLee Pryor Escamilla reminded them that some of the short fall could potentially be handled if the City were to also apply the Quimby Act to subdivisions as that fee is specifically developed for subdivisions. Towner-Yep explained that the Act is based the Subdivision Map Act and AB 1600, which would be your impact fee.

The Quimby Act states that if you are a developer you have to supply 3 acres per 1,000 people, but the City of Jackson has already upped that requirement to 5 acres per 1,000 people. The AB 1600 fees came along because ‘oh here’s 5 acres now do you have the money to develop that, not so much.’ So it is the funding mechanism in which you can develop that parcel of land or another designated parcel of land…And the nexus study actually suggests both…to the tune of almost $11,000 (for the Quimby act fees alone) in this particular setting.

Towner Yep stated that the need is generated by new people. “They are not paying for stuff that we have, they are paying for stuff that we need.” she stated. She also addressed a question that was asked by then Mayor Al Nunes, what if they collect the developers fee for Jackson per say, but Jackson already has the required amount of parks and recreation? Yep states that as long as the monies are designated for a city project then it stays with the city of Jackson. If there is not a project completed in Jackson then the funds return to the developer. After much discussion the city council decided to be bold in their approach to Parks and Recreation and approved the entire nexus study amount of $8670 dollars as the new parks and rec fee for the city. This fee is a per single family dwelling fee.