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Parks chair warns of funding shortfalls, urges consideration of millage to support county parks
Summary
Oceana County Parks and Recreation Commission reported a 2024 shortfall and urged the board to consider a millage to fund parks, the Conservation District and MSU Extension; the board approved a $25,000 transfer to parks capital projects to cover near-term repairs.
Garry McKeen, chairperson of the Oceana County Parks and Recreation Commission, told the Properties, Environment and Economic Development Committee on April 24 that the Parks budget is $20,000 but fixed 2024 expenses were about $24,765, creating a shortfall that is likely to recur without a new funding source.
"Most of what has been done in our parks in the past years has been by donations from interested parties," McKeen said in presenting the 2024 annual report; he recommended the board strongly consider a millage to support County Parks, the Oceana Conservation District and MSU Extension on a sustained basis.
The board approved a $25,000 transfer from Fund 288 to Fund 408 to support capital projects at county parks, including asphalt work at Gales Pond and Marshville Dam and concrete work at Cedar Point Park. McKeen also noted the Parks Commission has planned work on the Black Lake south loop nature pathway.
Why it matters: The parks system serves county residents and visitors. The commission said current operating revenues do not cover fixed expenses and that ad hoc donations have filled gaps; a millage would provide long-term, predictable funding for maintenance and capital projects.
McKeen also reported conservation work on a 40-acre parcel gifted to the Conservation District, including removal of invasive autumn olive and plans for a small 14-space parking area requiring roadwork coordination with the Road Commission. He raised a related concern that increases in Transfer Station fees could drive illegal dumping onto seasonal county roads, a point he made during committee-level public comment.
