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Parks advisory board urges caution as council considers shifting community center losses to Blue Hole fund
Summary
The Wimberley Parks & Recreation Advisory Board reviewed draft 2026 budgets for Blue Hole Regional Park and the Wimberley Community Center, recommended that any transfer of Community Center operating deficits be paired with general-fund support or a multi-year plan, and flagged staffing and revenue details that remain pending.
The Wimberley Parks & Recreation Advisory Board on Wednesday reviewed draft 2026 budgets for the Blue Hole Regional Park and the Wimberley Community Center and urged City Council to avoid placing the Community Center’s operating losses solely on the Blue Hole fund without additional general-fund support or a time‑limited transition plan.
Board members questioned incomplete personnel numbers in the draft Blue Hole budget and sought clarity on projected salaries, noting the city administrator had instructed departments to hold salary lines blank pending a citywide adjustment. Parks Director Richard said staff will provide finalized salary figures before council workshops and can return to the board with a budget amendment once those numbers are set.
“We’ve always been very conservative with our revenue and expenditure budgets,” Richard said when explaining why gate fees and revenue projections have buffers. He also confirmed the city received $3,000,000 in county funding toward the Blue Hole Nature Center project and noted other grant opportunities are being pursued.
Members focused much of the discussion on a possible administrative shift that city staff described: as part of a directive to identify funding for roads, City Council may reallocate some general-fund resources and could consolidate parks budgets so the Blue Hole fund would cover shortfalls from the Community Center. Tim, the city administrator, explained the directive and said staff is preparing options to present at council workshops.
Board members raised concerns about using Blue Hole reserves for recurring Community Center deficits. One member noted the Blue Hole fund balance includes a certificate of deposit of roughly $250,000 and total fund balances estimated around $1.1–$1.4 million; another recalled the Community Center reported a $114,000 operating loss in fiscal year 2023–24 and later comments referenced a possible negative budget approaching about $193,000 if consolidated.
The board recommended that, if council combines parks and Community Center budgets, it should plan for shared support from the general fund or a defined multi‑year commitment to cover transition losses. Members suggested the council consider alternative revenue strategies — sponsorships, memberships, program fees and grants — and emphasized that major capital needs for the Community Center (for example, a new roof and HVAC work) should be explicitly budgeted rather than absorbed entirely by Blue Hole reserves.
No formal final vote was recorded by the advisory board on moving budgets to council; members agreed the discussion and the board’s concerns should be communicated to City Council ahead of the July 17 workshop. The board also asked staff to return with finalized personnel figures and fee/revenue projections before the budget is presented for adoption.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the March 26 meeting minutes earlier in the meeting; the board recorded a motion and second to recommend the Blue Hole budget to council but did not record a final roll-call vote on the budget consolidation question during this session.
The board requested an itemized cost breakdown and phasing plan for the Blue Hole Nature Center and said it will monitor council workshops where any budget consolidations or reassignments will be discussed.
