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Parks & Recreation presents KPIs, seeks clearer links between spending and outcomes and flags organizational review
Summary
Parks & Recreation presented three headline KPIs — partnership funding ratio, park access (~70%), and program financial assistance (Q1: 39%) — and described near‑term milestones including a funding study, a long‑range plan update and an internal organizational review supported in part by consultant Gallagher to address capacity and operational balance.
Parks & Recreation Director Jesus Aguirre and staff briefed the committee on Jan. 28 about performance measures, near‑term milestones and an internal organizational review intended to improve service‑level outcomes.
Aguirre and Ben Westenhaven, a business process consultant, walked committee members through three headline KPIs: (1) funding from partnerships and grants per dollar of city investment (a five‑year rolling ratio that can fluctuate with capital closeouts), (2) percent of residents with access to parks and open space (the department reported roughly 70% in recent years using a 10‑minute walk standard), and (3) percent of Parks program participants receiving financial assistance (the Q1 reported result was 39% and the department expects the annual target of 25% by year end).
Westenhaven explained that the partnership funding measure aggregates private investment, volunteer hours and other partner contributions, and that the ratio may look volatile because capital projects count in the year they close out. He pointed committee members to the department’s open‑data story page and scorecards for full metric detail.
Committee members pressed staff to make clearer links between proposed spending and measurable outcomes. The chair emphasized a near‑term plan for the committee to work with Parks, the Office of Budget and Organizational Excellence and department staff to define maintenance and service‑level goals (targeting an April timeline) so budget and bond proposals can be tied to specific outcome changes.
Aguirre also described an internal organizational review and modest external consultant engagement. He said the department has engaged Gallagher to help assess leadership balance and operational structure and that the consultant work is coordinated with the city HR office. Aguirre emphasized no final restructuring decisions have been made and that staff consultation will continue under the city’s labor‑management consultation processes.
Other updates covered funding study work (local government corporations, parks districts, maintenance fee options) and programs to increase access to underused sites, such as the upcoming Recreation Ambassadors pilot launching in February. The department also noted continuing work to quantify park maintenance needs and to align park acquisition decisions with expected changes in access metrics.
What’s next: staff said they will continue to refine KPIs, provide additional detail on how specific funding levels move outcome metrics, and return to the committee with maintenance service‑level recommendations to inform the upcoming budget and bond conversations.
