CITY OF COMMERCEAGENDA REPORTCITY OF COMMERCEAGENDA REPORT
CITY OF COMMERCE
AGENDA REPORT
CITY OF COMMERCE
AGENDA REPORT
Item No. Item No.
Item No.
Item No.
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: City Manager
SUBJECT: Parks and recreation staffing and programming
Meeting Date: July 26, 2022
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council approve a resolution increasing the annual Parks and Recreation budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 that would reinstate programs to pre-pandemic levels.
ANALYSIS/BACKGROUND:
The City of Commerce Parks and Recreation Department has a long history of providing an array of top level programming for its community members i.e. Day Camps, Teen Programming, Senior Programs, Youth Sports, Youth Dance, Travel Sports, Camp Commerce, Art Programs, Special Events and Aquatics Programs to mention a few.
All the aforementioned programs, including other programs are conducted and lead by Supervisors, Coordinators, Recreation Leaders, Senior Recreation Leaders and Aquatics Personal. Prior to the Pandemic, the Parks and Recreation Department employed approximately 230 part-time staff/positions which lead the charge with programming and coaching.
As a result of the pandemic and the slow recovery, the Parks and Recreation Department lost approximately 115 staff/positions (50%), leaving only 115 part-time staff/positions on payroll. The department has slowly opened programs; however, the department has been unable to open to pre-pandemic levels due to the lack of staff and budget constraints. Despite the lack of staff and a reduced budget over the last two years, the department continues to exceed programming expectations. With that said, additional staff and funds would assist with programming levels that the community is accustomed to.
We anticipate that the department could be back to pre-pandemic programming with modifications by the end of 2022. This would include youth sports; facilities open to the public, additional special events, increased senior programming, the opening of camp commerce and other programs.
Please note that all pre-pandemic programming hinges on the hiring of qualified staff in both the recreation and aquatics divisions within the department.
Onboarding staff will take several months as it will include the recruitment period, interviews, job offers, background checks, physicals and trainings.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The projected cost of this proposal for the fiscal year 2022/2023 is $1,494,522. This amount has been prorated based on staff’s estimated time to fully ramp up Parks and Recreation programs. The projected cost on an annualized basis is $1,992,696 once the programs are fully ramped up. If approved, the funding would come from the projected surplus for fiscal year 2022/2023 of $7,948,740 and would reduce the surplus to $6,454,218.
Two potential events that the City Council should be mindful of when deliberating the recommendation presented:
As inflation continues to increase, so does the probability of a recession, according to several recent economic forecasts. That means more layoffs, fewer jobs and higher interest rates may soon be on the horizon. Recent forecasts say a recession could occur in 2022. A significant decline in economic activity could trigger staff to recommend a recalculation and/or reduction of the 2022/23 projected surplus. If this was to occur, the ramp up of the Parks and Recreation programs could be revisited.
The City also faces the potential impact of Proposition 26 on the November ballot. If passed, the fiscal impact of Proposition 26 would not be immediate but could potentially devastate the City’s revenues in future years. Other items of note include the following:
The soon to be completed class and compensation study could include budgetary impacts depending on the City Council’s wishes.
Departmental budget enhancement requests are currently being reviewed and will be presented to Council in the coming months.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC GOALS:
Strategic Goal #1: Develop Citywide Plan to enhance and maintain the City of Commerce environment and infrastructure to create livability and quality of life for those who live, work and play in the community.
Respectfully submitted: Edgar P. Cisneros, City Manager Recommended by: Greg Alaniz, Director of Parks and Recreation Fiscal Impact reviewed by: Josh Brooks, Director of Finance