Polk County Conservation presents 2025 budget; Sleepy Hollow enterprise grows, Brenton Slough acquisition advances

Rich Leopold, director of Polk County Conservation, presented the department’s 2025 budget to the Board of Supervisors and said the department expects variable revenues and significant bond‑funded spending. Leopold said the department’s revenue estimate is about $3,000,000 (variable year to year), with recurring contributions to the county of roughly $1,400,000 annually from camping, shelter rentals and program fees; requested expenses appear large because they include bond‑funded project capacity.

Why it matters: Polk County Conservation manages parks, trails, land acquisition and water‑quality programs paid largely through the Polk County Water and Land Legacy Bond and partner grants; those investments shape recreation, water quality and conservation across the county.

Leopold explained that the department’s requested expense total is elevated because it includes unused bond lettings that the department can spend on eligible projects; he said the conservation office typically requests the full capacity so it can respond quickly to opportunities. He estimated the department’s core full‑time staff at about 65 and said the remainder of the department’s FTE total reflects seasonal and part‑time positions used for parks and programming.

Leopold highlighted specific programs and capital activities: an $8.1 million Athene North Shore universally accessible park; parking, amenities and final work at the Lordson Skatepark; major trail repairs including the Great Western Trail; and the North 4 Mile mountain bike facility near Pleasant Hill. He said the conservation department now hosts AmeriCorps (two full‑time staff and 22 year‑long participants), a partnership Leopold characterized as a way to increase capacity without adding permanent county FTEs. Leopold said the AmeriCorps arrangement was valued at roughly $550,000–$600,000 and noted the county pays about half of that amount.

On Sleepy Hollow, Leopold described an operating loan structure from the county’s enterprise accounts. He said Sleepy Hollow’s performance improved from an early loss to projections of about $600,000 net this fiscal year and about $1 million the following year; the county loan is expected to be repaid as the enterprise matures. Leopold said the conservation department is pursuing a roughly $10 million fundraising campaign tied to further Sleepy Hollow improvements.

Leopold outlined water‑quality, restoration and land acquisition work: 19 wetlands are in design and four are under construction in the wetland‑creation program; streambank restoration agreements will come forward as projects are ready; and a wetland mitigation bank model helps speed restoration while offsetting costs over time. He described an ongoing 1,114‑acre Brenton Slough acquisition across three phases (2024–2026) with partners and grant funding; Leopold said the project would provide large tracts of natural habitat and potential trail connections of 10–12 miles depending on partners.

Budget details Leopold cited: variable revenue components (camping, rentals, program fees) that have increased about 40 percent over the last 10 years, bond capacity left after recent lettings (he reported approximately $26 million remaining capacity for Polk County Conservation and about $8.5 million associated with ICON water‑trails funding), and a $2.1 million appropriation last year for skate‑park parking and related improvements.

Board members queried a variety of items: the accounting treatment of extra‑help hours (Deb Anderson and others explained a rounding/reconciliation issue between human resources classification and the county budgeting system), FEMA reimbursement prospects for storm and flood cleanup (the department applied for FEMA and will await the federal decision) and Sleepy Hollow operating projections. Leopold invited supervisors to field trips and site visits to see conservation projects in person.

Ending: Leopold closed by reiterating that much of the department’s 2025 spending depends on bond projects, partner grants and timing of carryover projects; supervisors signaled interest in follow‑up briefings on Sleepy Hollow, Brenton Slough and trail connectors.