Agenda - Council - 04/25/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Council administers pass-through funds from the state to regional park implementing agencies to pay for a portion of their operations and maintenance costs. The share each regional park implementing agency receives is based on a formula specified in state statute (Minn. Stat. 423.351). In addition to the four grant programs highlighted above, the Council also provides additional funds and administers other investments. For example, the Council administers pass-through grants from the state to regional park implementing agencies. These dollars are legislatively earmarked for a particular regional park implementing agency or park and trail unit. Additionally, the Council provides other funding investments not included above. For example, legislation created a special fund for North Mississippi Regional Park. In another example, Council bonds have been issued to pay for acquisitions without state matching funds. In sum, the total investment the state and Council have made toward the Regional Parks System between 1974 and 2014 totals $821 million (Table 2-1). Table 2-1. 40-year Regional Park System State and Regional Funding Investments, 1974- 2014 Capital Parks and Park Acquisition Operations Pass- Other Improvement Trails Legacy Opportunity Fund and Through Investments Program Fund Grant Program Maintenance Grants (State and (State and (State Funds) (State and Council (State Funds) (State Funds) Council Council Funds) Funds) Funds) ENRTF1 PTLF2 $414.1 M $84.1 M $15.1 M $15.6 M $163.0 M $104.7M $25.1 M Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund acquisition account 2 Parks and Trails Legacy Fund acquisition account About eight /tenths of a percent (0.82%) of the total state and local taxes paid by a household in the region go to support the Regional Parks System. For the owner of a $250,000 home in the seven- county metropolitan area, the average annual cost of the Regional Park System is $67 - including $26 in state income and sales taxes and $41 in regional and local property taxes. The investments and funding sources described above are not the only funding sources for the Regional Park System. Each regional park implementing agency provides their own mix of funding for their respective regional parks and trails. Other funding sources also exist, including federal grants, public-private partnerships, and private donations. In addition to the four grant programs highlighted above, the Council is committed to creating a set-side competitive grant program that is specifically targeted to enhance equitable usage of regional parks and trails. This grant program, tentatively called the Park Equity grant program, will be created using Council bonds and funded on an annual basis. Because of existing constraints on Council bonds, the grant program will provide funding only for acquisition, development, or redevelopment projects in the Regional Park System. Additional details of the new grant program are described in Chapter 4.