Title
Strategic Initiative 6.5: Recreation Master Plan (B)
This item provides the City Commission an update on the funding formula and master plan project list. **estimated presentation 10 - 15 minutes**
Explanation
At the November 15, 2012 meeting, the City Commission approved the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Master Plan and directed staff to return to the Commission at a later date with funding option scenarios. Since adoption of the master plan, staff and the Commission have worked to identify a funding source to implement the master plan.
On August 10, 2015, an overview of the Master Plan was presented at the Joint City/County Commission meeting. To further research, deliberate and make recommendations on the feasibility of a sales tax focused on funding parks, recreation, culture and conservation land acquisition, both commissions voted to establish a Joint Task Force consisting of two commissioners from each body and one representative from the League of Cities.
At the September 16, 2015 Meeting of the Joint Task Force, the County polling results were presented to gauge public interest on reauthorizing the Wild Spaces Public Places ballot initiative. After the presentation, all municipalities in Alachua County were asked to respond to proposed ballot language: “Shall Alachua County be authorized to: extend the Alachua County Forever Program to acquire and improve environmentally sensitive lands to protect drinking water sources, water quality, and wildlife habitat; and to create improve and maintain park and
recreational facilities in all cities and the County by a levy of one-half percent sales tax for ten
years starting January 1, 2017.”
On October 15, 2015, Mayor Braddy shared the letter from the County requesting input on the proposed ballot language whereby the City Commission recommended that the sales tax be proposed for five years rather than ten.
At the November 30, 2015 Meeting of the Joint City/County Task Force, the responses ...
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