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Charlotte County to seek funding for dozens of parks and recreation positions tied to adopted master plan
Summary
County staff told commissioners that consultants' mode-based parks master plan identified roughly 50 parks maintenance positions and 35 recreation positions; staff will bring specific salary and roll-up cost estimates in July and recommended adopting scalable service 'modes' if revenues tighten.
Charlotte County staff on May 22 presented the parks and recreation staffing implications of the county's adopted parks master plan and told commissioners they will recommend funding and timing in the July budget.
Francine Lisby, assistant budget director, recalled the November parks master-plan presentation and said consultants used mode-based standards to assign levels of service to each park. Tommy Scott, community services director, explained how the analysis accounted for the number and type of amenities at each park, the time required for safety inspections, maintenance and repairs, and then converted those workload estimates into staff (FTE) needs.
Lisby said the consultants identified about 50 positions for parks maintenance and 35 positions for recreation centers; staff told the board they will bring recommendations in July for general-fund support of those positions and a roll-up of the estimated payroll impact. Commissioners asked for additional clarifying detail: an itemized list of positions, average salary assumptions, a roll-up of total annual payroll if all positions were filled, and confirmation of a discrepancy between slide totals (48 vs. 49 vs. 34) that staff said they would reconcile.
Tommy Scott said the parks positions are functionally split (park maintenance and ball-field maintenance), and that adjustments to adopted modes will directly change staff needs. Several commissioners urged the ‘scalable’ approach — keeping a base service level and predefined scalable options so the county can adjust staffing or maintenance levels if state revenue changes or budget pressures materialize.
No hiring decisions were made at the workshop. Lisby said staff will return with detailed position lists, estimated salary costs and the budget timing to implement them as part of the July recommended budget.
