Park board reprioritizes impact-fee spending toward Overly Warman restroom; awards impact-fee study to REA/Baker Tilly

The Town of Zionsville Park Board voted to approve a strategy for using the town’s 2022 park impact-fee fund that reprioritizes restroom infrastructure and moves toward updating the town’s impact-fee study.

Parks staff reported a current 2022 impact-fee fund balance of $932,000 and said the town typically receives about $375,000 a year in impact-fee revenue (amounts vary with development). As part of Resolution 2026-11, staff recommended shifting the priority from a restroom at Heritage Trail Park to a restroom at Overly Warman Park, proposing a prefabricated, self-cleaning unit with site-prep and related work estimated at $650,000. “The total there for 650,000 would be for the site prep as well as the logistics of designing the site to accept a prefabricated self-cleaning restroom,” parks staff said.

Staff emphasized that approving the resolution was a strategic direction only; any actual expenditures would be reflected in future budget requests to town council and would return to the board before funds are spent. Several board members requested a direct comparison between the self-contained prefab option and a stick-built restroom on the same footprint before the board approves funding.

In linked action, the board authorized awarding the town’s update to the impact-fee study to Rundsdale, Ernstberger & Associates (REA) in partnership with Baker Tilly. The RFP closed with a single proposal; REA/Baker Tilly proposed a $60,000 lump-sum fee to update levels of service, project demand 5–10 years out, run public meetings and draft ordinance language. REA’s representative said the firm would start projections at 2026 and could likely reduce the fee if the town’s recently completed comprehensive-plan data can be reused. “If most of what we need is there in the format that we need, we can definitely get you guys some cost savings,” said Tricia McCollum, representing REA. Board members agreed to award the work with business terms to be finalized in a contract returned for approval; the award was authorized with a not-to-exceed amount of $60,000 and the expectation that the consultants will seek to reduce cost if existing data can be reused.

Why it matters: Impact fees fund park infrastructure tied to growth; the board’s strategy sets which projects will be prioritized for those restricted dollars and begins work to establish a defensible new fee schedule before the current 2022 fee structure sunsets in 2027. The board’s approval of a strategy—rather than an appropriation—keeps final spending decisions with the council and with future board review.

What’s next: Staff will build the proposed projects into budget requests to town council and return final contract terms for the impact-fee study for board approval. The study timeline aims for an April 2027 deliverable and requires a 6-month waiting period after any new rate adoption before it takes effect.