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Parks and fair operations face tight budget choices; fair manager conversion and McBee campground project highlighted
Summary
Natural Areas, Parks and Events (NAEP) staff presented a multi‑fund budget (about $12.9 million in materials) that relies heavily on enterprise and transient‑lodging revenues, asked to make a limited‑duration fair manager position permanent, and described capital and maintenance needs including a state‑funded McBee campground rehabilitation.
Natural Areas, Parks and Events Director Jesse Ott presented the department's multi‑fund budget and emphasized that much of his portfolio is funded outside the general fund and depends on user fees, transient lodging tax (TLT) allocations and enterprise revenues.
Ott said the NAEP package totals approximately $12,900,000 in proposed spending (figure stated in the presentation) and that material and capital expenses account for a majority of the department's outlays because of the nature of parks, campgrounds and fairgrounds operations. He asked the budget committee to consider making the department's limited‑duration fair manager position permanent to stabilize operations and bookings.
Key points and figures presented by staff: - NAEP budget presented as roughly $12.9 million; staff said materials, capital and services represent about 55% of the budget because of event and facility costs. - Parks and NAEP manage 66 buildings, 30 restrooms, five campgrounds/parks with roughly 1,700 acres of parks and forests and 26 miles of trails; the department does its own custodial and many facility tasks. - Transit Lodging Tax: staff said the fair fund has relied on TLT for capital and operational support, and that about 70% of TLT receipts are used for fair and tourism purposes under county code; staff said TLT contingency in the budget is approximately $650,000. - Corrections work crew: the county currently hosts a corrections work crew at the fairgrounds; Ott said the current cost to the county is about $2,600 per week for that crew and that cuts could require NAEP to substitute volunteer or staff time for assigned duties.
Ott described several capital projects and priorities that were not fully funded in the recommended package, including conversion of lighting to LED at the fairgrounds, a heat‑pump upgrade at the Bazell Education Center, and campground upgrades at McBee funded by an Oregon State Parks allocation (about $645,000 cited for McBee).</n Ott also described the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) program the county manages with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, noting it requires maintenance and weed management and is a long‑term, compliance‑driven program with limited flexibility: "With the Habitat Conservation Plan, we can allow public works, NAEP and the city of Corvallis to continue to do public good infrastructure projects while we mitigate the effect, of those projects at our Habitat sites," he said.
Commissioners pressed staff on TLT use, work‑crew options, and vacancy assumptions. Commissioners indicated interest in protecting alternatives to incarceration and community service programs; staff pledged to return with options for preserving work‑crew opportunities if the committee requires reductions in NAEP general‑fund support.
