Gage Park Improvement Authority reports $16.3 million distributed; plans discretionary spending and audits

Jim Martin, the chair of the Gage Park Improvement Authority, told the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 13 that the authority has distributed $16,300,000 to park partners since its creation and is planning several expenditures and procedural reviews.

"We have fulfilled the mission of distributing the tax revenues to the, Gage Park partners, the zoo, parks and rec, and the discovery center," Martin said, describing the authority's first full year of tax revenue distribution. He told commissioners the authority considers itself a Gage Park partner and has distributed funds on a monthly basis.

Martin said the authority has received slightly more than $814,000 into its board account and has placed about $703,000 in interest-bearing accounts. He said the authority earned about $14,000 in interest, has paid out $75,800 to date (with $815 of that classified as board expenses), and has committed roughly $220,000 for upcoming payments.

The authority sets aside 5 percent of monthly tax revenues as a discretionary fund, Martin said, and has established a written application process for partners or outside entities seeking discretionary funding. He said the finance committee — consisting of the chair, vice chair and secretary-treasurer — reviews funding requests and forwards recommendations to the full board; the board waits one month after a recommendation before acting to ensure stewardship.

Martin outlined recent and planned expenditures: about $25,000 contributed toward master planning efforts, $50,000 provided to the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library/Zoo/Discovery Center to cover free and reduced admission demand that exhausted their budget, and $18,000 to Parks and Recreation for increased parking-area security during the zoo lights event. He said the authority expects to sign a memorandum of understanding with the City of Topeka for sanitary-sewer field inspection work in the park and anticipates committing about $95,000 in the second quarter for that work. He also said the board may allocate an additional $25,000 to $75,000 toward master planning.

Martin said the authority has issued a request for proposals for an independent financial and procedural review; the RFP is due in the days following the meeting. He said the board is considering contracting a service to perform monthly disbursements to gain consistency because the board is volunteer-run and has experienced near-misses meeting time-sensitive month-end disbursement requirements.

Commissioner Aaron Mayes moved to suspend the public-comment time limit so Martin could present; Commissioner Rippon seconded the motion and it passed, 3-0.

Martin reminded the commissioners that later in the year two board members are eligible for reappointment by the county.