Lago Vista parks advisory panel asks council for dedicated parks fund, staffing and safety fixes

The Lago Vista Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee on a recent meeting presented council-bound recommendations asking the city to dedicate tree-mitigation funds for parks, change tree-mitigation fee and caliper rules, increase parks staffing, and fund a short list of low-cost safety and maintenance projects.

Committee members said the request comes ahead of the city’s budget cycle and the arrival of a new city manager. The group asked council to create a recurring parks budget so the city can implement and maintain projects residents have identified as priorities.

The committee asked that the city formalize a dedicated parks fund sourced from the existing tree-mitigation fee mechanism (often described in the ordinance as a fee-in-lieu when replacement is not feasible). The committee reviewed the current ordinance appendix showing a $250-per-inch mitigation fee with a $10,000 cap for single-family residences and proposed lowering the protected tree caliper threshold from 10 inches to 6 inches and raising the fee…