Mayor asks council to let staff study splitting Parks and Recreation from DPI

The mayor told the committee he wants the city to pursue creating a separate Parks and Recreation department distinct from the Department of Public Infrastructure and asked the council to authorize staff to prepare job descriptions, organizational charts and cost estimates for review.

"From the budget discussions, from last year, I mentioned that I would like to pursue the idea of creating a separate park and recreation department," the mayor said, asking for no immediate approval but for staff time to build a full proposal.

Council members said parks and recreation give the city character and welcomed a focused structure. Alder Cummings called the change "a good idea" and urged staff to evaluate where park offices should be located for efficiency. "Would that be the most efficient spot for the offices, or do we relocate them, like, in a centralized area with everybody else?" Cummings asked.

The mayor said day-to-day parks operations are already based at the senior center and recommended moving administrative park functions there — such as cabin rentals and key pick-ups — to reduce trips to city hall and to help keep consistent senior-center hours. He also noted that staff (Dan and Jesse) and parks employees (Kurt, Brock and Michelle) have been involved in early planning.

The mayor outlined timing for the work: staff would develop options through January and February with the aim of presenting a proposal to the new council in April. He also asked the council to consider creating a standing parks-and-recreation oversight committee as part of a single package when a formal proposal is brought forward.

On costs, the mayor said new personnel lines (for example, a department director) would be costed and brought back to the council. "We're looking at budget neutral obviously because there's nothing budgeted more," he said, while acknowledging some positions or phased implementation may require future budget adjustments.

The mayor recommended a staged review process: have personnel committee review the staff findings, then send a recommendation to a committee of the whole before any final council action. Committee members agreed to that approach and asked staff to return with a fully costed, organized proposal and recommended ordinance language if a standing committee is included.

Next steps: staff will prepare job descriptions, organizational charts and cost estimates, address questions raised about facility and leadership costs, and return to personnel and then the committee of the whole for further review. The committee did not take a formal vote to create the new department at this meeting.