Haslet park board presses for access to ‘Fund 15’ financials and delays budget action until July

The Haslet Parks and Recreation Board debated whether it should continue to see line-by-line detail from “Park Fund 15” after staff removed the fund from the board’s routine financial reports.

Board members said they found numerous Fund 15 entries they could not identify — including invoices and payments that, when added together, totaled about $102,124 — and asked that the fund be restored to the board packet as an informational line so the advisory board can monitor park-improvement spending.

“I don’t remember us approving $34,860 for drainage,” a board member said, pointing to multiple line items she said appeared under “community park projects.” Another board member pressed that Fund 15 is the revenue source used historically for playgrounds and other park capital and that removing it prevents the board from knowing what money is available to propose future projects.

Board members and staff agreed the park board is advisory and that the city council approves the overall city budget. Still, several members said the board has relied on Fund 15 detail for years to inform recommendations and to ask follow-up questions about specific expenditures.

Katrina, the staff member who prepares the board packet, said she would discuss the request with the finance director and the mayor. Garrett, identified during the meeting as the city’s emergency manager, was not involved in the finance discussion but later outlined city efforts to standardize event contact lists and action plans.

On the board’s formal business, members voted to postpone discussion of the proposed 2025–26 park budget (agenda item 7) to a budget-specific meeting on July 9 so the board can receive clarified financial statements in advance. The board also passed a consent-agenda motion that approved a package of minutes and routine items.

Board members said they want Fund 15 returned to the packet as an informational item so the board can “review, consider and act” on items it previously recommended to council; staff agreed to pass the request to the finance director and to ask council for clarification on the board’s role with respect to the fund.

The discussion underscored a recurring tension in Haslet’s advisory boards: members who serve in a recommending role want regular access to the same transaction-level detail that lets them plan capital projects, while city staff and the finance office handle expenditures and approvals centrally.

The board set July 9 as the date for a dedicated budget meeting to allow time for staff to consult with finance and to provide the board with any additional documentation requested.