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NCPRD budget update: staff project multi-year shortfalls, one-time revenue and fee changes noted
Summary
Finance staff told the DAC that operating costs are rising faster than property-tax revenue; the district required $1.5 million in reductions this year and projects an approximate $400,000 gap next year, and staff are considering fee increases, program reductions and use of one-time capital proceeds.
Finance Supervisor Kelly Guttner presented a fiscal update to the District Advisory Committee March 11, detailing operating and capital funding, recent one-time land-sale proceeds and planned cost-management actions to address structural deficits.
Guttner said NCPRD’s budget is organized into operating and non-operating categories, with operating expenses totaling about $11,800,000 and non-operating (capital) totaling about $31,000,000. She told the committee overall revenues are projected to increase roughly 6% over the adopted budget, largely because of a higher beginning fund balance and one-time capital revenues, including proceeds from the sale of the land beneath the Oak Lodge Library.
Still, staff have required $1,500,000 in reductions for the current fiscal year and project another approximately $400,000 of reductions for the next fiscal year unless additional recurring revenue is found. Guttner said staff are considering a range of revenue and cost-reduction options, and that the board approved a set of fee and charge changes on Feb. 17, 2026, that will take effect in July 2026. She emphasized the district is aiming to maintain affordability while preserving access to core services.
Guttner also explained constraints on certain funds: system development charges (SDCs) are restricted to capital projects and cannot be used for ongoing operations; the capital projects fund contains significant contingency and reserves that staff said are intended to cover unforeseen expenses and project timing. Committee members asked for a detailed breakdown of contingency transfers and why some funds in particular zones showed large contingency allocations; Guttner said she would provide a follow-up with specifics.
The presentation reiterated that the district’s permanent property-tax rate has been 54¢ per $1,000 of assessed value since 1990 and that the 20-year system plan completed last year defines long-term investment priorities that a funding measure would seek to support.
