Yamhill County reviews draft 20-year parks system plan, flags funding shortfall and revenue options

Design Workshop presented a draft Yamhill County Parks System Plan to the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners on July 17, outlining a 20-year vision for parks, open space and recreation and identifying funding and staffing shortfalls that will limit the county’s ability to carry out major capital improvements.

The plan, presented by Anna Laborn of Design Workshop, said the document is intended as a long-term guide — not a mandate — to help the county prioritize projects, pursue funding and manage roughly 272 acres of park and natural areas spread across 18 sites. Laborn said the plan grew from an analysis of the county’s inventory, benchmarking against similar counties and community input gathered through surveys, stakeholder interviews and parks board meetings.

“The Yamhill County Park System Plan is a guide for the next 20 years of enhancing, maintaining and adding to the county’s parks, open space and recreation opportunities,” Anna Laborn, a planner with Design Workshop, told the commission. “It is intended to inform county decision-making and to be flexible about timing and funding.”

Why it matters: commissioners and consultants said the county’s limited capital budget and thin staffing are the central obstacles to implementing the plan’s recommendations. Design Workshop found the county’s current budget provides little room for capital projects beyond routine maintenance and replacement; commissioners discussed multiple revenue strategies to close that gap.

Key points from the plan and the discussion

- Inventory and community input: The draft documents that the county manages 272 total acres, including 16 sites with water access and a total of 18 parks and natural areas. Design Workshop said it received 626 completed surveys and that 82% of respondents expressed a high likelihood to support additional funding for parks and recreation improvements.

- Funding and capacity gap: Design Workshop told the board that current staffing levels and capital funding are insufficient to implement many of the plan’s proposed improvements. Laborn and the project team emphasized the need for a funding strategy that could include increased general fund allocation, new fees, pursuit of grants (which often require match funds) and a potential dedicated tax or levy to support capital projects and ongoing maintenance.

- Revenue-generation options discussed: Commissioners and consultants discussed revenue-focused approaches including expanding fee-based facilities (campgrounds, RV parks), renting park spaces for events, and evaluating a transient lodging tax (TLT) or other voter-approved dedicated funding. Commissioner King argued for prioritizing revenue-generating assets such as an RV campground and using tourist-related taxes where appropriate; other commissioners urged caution and recommended feasibility studies before committing to major projects.

- Strategic land ownership and disposition: The plan recommends evaluating underused or hard-to-maintain properties for alternative management, partnerships or sale. Commissioners debated selling small or isolated parcels to concentrate resources on higher-value properties; several commissioners said they supported targeted sales or partnerships but opposed broad land-banking.

- Implementation phases: The draft organizes action items into phases. Short-term steps include completing a detailed fee and revenue assessment and identifying properties for alternative management. Later phases contemplate community outreach and, if supported, pursuing a voter-approved dedicated funding source for parks.

- Other operational issues raised: Commissioners asked staff to provide additional information or follow-ups, including a map that shows county parks alongside municipal parks, clearer comparators in the budget benchmarking (apples-to-apples caveats), further detail on the parks SDC (system development charge) split and limits, and a feasibility pro forma for any revenue-generating project.

Quotes from the meeting

“Many of your locations are fairly far out there. They provide a whole variety of experiences and amenities,” Anna Laborn said, summarizing the plan’s themes around water access, destinations and enhancing visitor experiences.

“There's some real considerations about the long-term sustainability,” Laborn added, noting the county’s limited capital budget and staffing.

Commissioner King, emphasizing revenue strategies, said the county should “prioritize…how do we invest in mechanisms for getting those revenue generators, like an RV park,” and pointed to examples of counties using a portion of transient lodging tax revenue to support parks.

Commissioner Starett (spoke about community fundraising and priorities) described a recent community effort that had raised roughly $10,000 for a lighting and safety project at Ed Grenfell Park as an example of local capacity and engagement.

Board direction and next steps

- Commissioners asked Design Workshop and county staff to return with materials to support final adoption of a plan, including a map that overlays county and city parks, clearer notes in budget comparisons explaining differences between peer systems, and feasibility analyses for revenue-generating options.

- The consultant said the next formal step is the plan adoption process; no adoption vote took place at the July 17 meeting.

Votes at a glance (other items on the agenda)

- Consent agenda (one contract and several minutes): motion to approve — passed unanimously (yes:3). Details of the contract were not specified in the public discussion.

- Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) No. 15373 — Yamhill County and the Oregon Youth Authority for support services, not to exceed $21,592, retroactive to 07/01/2025 through 06/30/2027: motion to approve — passed unanimously (yes:3). The board described the agreement as intended to provide support services that help keep youth out of residential OYA facilities.

- Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 026116 — Yamhill County and the Oregon Health Authority (Choice Model Services), board order 24-064, increasing funding by $102,464.99 and extending the term through 12/31/2025: motion to approve — passed unanimously (yes:3). The board described the funding as intended to support services that help people with serious mental health needs remain as independent as possible and avoid institutional care.

- Intergovernmental agreement between Yamhill County Transit and Washington County to receive $75,000 in STIF funds (2023-25 and 2025-27 bienniums) to augment Route 33 (McMinnville–Hillsboro); rescinds/replaces board order 25-149: motion to approve — passed unanimously (yes:3).

What the record shows and what remains open

Design Workshop’s presentation and the commission’s discussion made clear that the draft plan is intended as a decision-making tool rather than an immediate work program. Commissioners broadly supported the plan’s vision while requesting clearer financial comparisons, a city-park overlay map, feasibility work on revenue options and more granular prioritization of capital projects. Staff and the consultant said they will return with revised materials as the board moves toward formal adoption.