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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,November 7,2016 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> City Administrator Loftus stated the City's operating budget or General Fund is meant for day-to-day <br /> maintenance,which should handle all of the normal maintenance. For the past five years,the City <br /> Council has been looking at different options for funding the seal coating of the roads. Loftus stated the <br /> right way to do it would be to seal coat the trails at the same time the roads in the area are being done and <br /> that it should be included in the yearly maintenance fund. <br /> Loftus stated capital improvement expenditures are typically defined as anything over$5,000. Loftus <br /> stated the reason the City looks at capital expenditures in that way is because it opens up different funding <br /> options for the City. Park dedication funds are only paid at the time of new developments and the Park <br /> Fund is a continual tax on the residents. Loftus indicated the Park Dedication Fund is restricted in how it <br /> can be used by the State Legislature. <br /> Loftus stated over the years there have been a number of challenges from developers on the Park <br /> Dedication Fee. Currently the City asks for between$3,250 to $5,550 per dwelling unit. That rate has <br /> not been increased since 2002. Loftus stated what has to happen is a study that identifies what the City <br /> would like to purchase or other capital improvements the City would like to do as well as the costs <br /> associated with those. The City would then arrive at an estimate of the number of dwelling units that <br /> potentially could be developed. Those numbers would be divided to arrive at the fee. <br /> Loftus stated currently the City has identified$22 million in improvements. If a developer or the City <br /> decides that a neighborhood park is not required,the developer would make a cash contribution into the <br /> community fund,which is known as the Park Dedication Fund. Those fees are typically used for large <br /> capital expenses, such as creation of a park or trail. Loftus stated routine maintenance should be handled <br /> through regular ongoing tax dollars,which would be included in the Park Fund. <br /> Meyers asked if the City's need of$22 million is included in that calculation. <br /> Loftus indicated it is. Loftus stated the City conducted a study ten years ago regarding that so it could <br /> justify its fee per unit. Loftus noted the City is currently close to being fully developed and that she looks <br /> at the City's Park Dedication Fund as not increasing substantially in the future. <br /> Brenda Johnson asked if there has been any discussion about increasing the General Fund to cover park <br /> maintenance. <br /> Loftus stated there has been a discussion about that and for the past two years the City Council was <br /> willing to increase the levy. The Council designated that increase toward road maintenance and that she <br /> considers trails to be part of road maintenance. For the previous five years the Council decided to not <br /> increase the levy due to the poor economic conditions. <br /> Loftus stated the City is currently short$1 million a year for road improvements. Loftus stated road <br /> improvements are on the Council's radar and a top priority but that the City has $1.5 million in need each <br /> year. Loftus noted City has had$400,000 available in road improvement funding now for the last two <br /> years. <br /> Edwards stated all the trail numbers in the Parks CIP come from the Pavement Management Plan. <br /> Levang commented the City is doing what they can to address roads and trails. Levang noted the City did <br /> get one trail done this year and that the other trails are on the plan but financing is an issue. Levang stated <br /> Page 5 of 13 <br />