Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 10/09/2014

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• Connect people and the outdoors • Acquire land, create opportunities • Take care of what we have • Coordinate among partners The four strategic directions parallel the policy direction put forward in Minnesota's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP, 2014). Most notably, SCORP, citing changing population demographics and declining per- capita participation in nature -based outdoor recreation, emphasizes the importance of connecting people to the outdoors. While regional park implementing agencies do a great deal to connect people to the outdoors, and their efforts should not be diminished, the additional funds made available by the Legacy Amendment enable them to do more in this regard. The additional funding allows for the enhancement of what is already being done and be innovative and creative in trying to capture and serve a broader and more diverse population. Considering the statewide significance of connecting people to the outdoors, a percentage of Parks and Trails Legacy Fund dollars should be used for that purpose. In 2015, the Council - in close collaboration with regional park implementing agencies, Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee, and other partners and stakeholders - will identify a minimum percentage of Parks and Trails Legacy appropriations that should be used to "connect people and the outdoors." Once determined and approved by the Council, the Council will require regional park implementing agencies to adhere to the determined minimum level of spending as it pertains to their annual share of the Parks and Trails Fund appropriations. Finance - Strategy 4: Investments to be funded by the Capital Improvement Plan and Parks and Trails Legacy Fund must be included on the legislatively authorized project list. To access its share of grant funds from the Capital Improvement Program and Parks and Trails Legacy Fund, a regional park implementing agency must have the proposed project included on the appropriate legislatively authorized project list. In certain circumstances, projects can be amended and the process for such an event is described in subsequent content. Finance - Strategy 5: Where appropriate, equity will be a consideration in Regional Parks System funding and investment. Thrive MSP 2040 states the Council will use equity as a lens to evaluate its operations, planning, and investments. An equity lens, otherwise called an equity analysis toolkit or equity impact assessment, is a tool government agencies use to collect information related to their major activities. Many government agencies throughout the country are using an equity lens to inventory, monitor, and institutionalize equity principles. Typically, an equity lens consists of a short series of open -ended questions that clarify both the positive and adverse impacts a project may have on equity. As of 2014, the Council does not have an equity lens developed.