Advisory committee seeks budget overview and property inventory; mayor asks members to set priorities

Committee members asked staff for an overview of the Parks & Recreation budget and a map showing city‑owned properties and park parcels to help the committee prioritize recommendations. A committee member requested the information before the next meeting so the group can better weigh tradeoffs among projects.

Mayor Kevin McCann told the committee it has a wide remit to advise the commission and emphasized that Central Winds Park and other park assets represent long‑term, generational investments. He encouraged committee members to weigh priorities and told members that lighting the lower fields would be expensive and might require matching grants or phased approaches. “The commission went into debt and bought Central Winds Park,” McCann said, describing the park as a strategic long‑term asset and saying members should help determine whether the city pursues signage, accessibility work, field lights or the boardwalk first.

Staff provided an FY line-item figure for the parks operating budget and capital program; Mayor McCann said the parks budget for the current fiscal year is approximately $3,500,000. Staff said the budget is posted on the city website and that staff will bring a formal budget overview to the committee at the next meeting if requested. The committee set tentative follow-ups for a budget overview, connectivity/trail analysis, tennis-court usage study and an inventory of city-owned parcels; members were told to submit agenda requests at least 10 days before a meeting packet is posted.