Supervisor Farrell announces charter amendment to fund Recreation and Parks; proposes $350 million over 15 years

Supervisor M. Farrell introduced a charter amendment proposal at the Sept. 22 Board of Supervisors meeting that would create a stable funding source for the Recreation and Park Department and guarantee just over $350 million in additional new funding over the next 15 years.

Farrell said the proposal was developed after months of community meetings and input from neighborhood groups and the San Francisco Parks Alliance. The measure would be placed on the June 2016 primary ballot and is designed to deliver a staged increase in annual funding, including an initial ramp of approximately $3 million per year over the next decade. The sponsor said that, net of anticipated employee costs, the department would receive more than $200 million in new funds to pay for maintenance, park staffing, programming and potential land acquisition.

The charter amendment would require periodic updates to the department's strategic plan and give the Recreation and Park Commission authority to review and approve the plan. It would also mandate periodic performance audits by the Controller's Office to ensure funds are used for the authorized objectives. The proposal contains a recession protection feature: in a declared recession year, the annually scheduled increase would be suspended.

Farrell told the board that Rec & Park funding has lagged even as demand for park maintenance and services has increased and cited a report showing that more than 99 percent of current maintenance work was done on an emergency basis rather than as preventive maintenance.

Ending: The item was introduced for future board consideration and for a June 2016 ballot placement process; Farrell said he will seek broad community and board support during the campaign period.