Marion County weighs voter‑authorized bond to fund parks, conservation and maintenance

Marion County commissioners on Wednesday heard a presentation from the Trust for Public Land about using a voter‑authorized bond or related local funding to address a backlog of park maintenance, capital replacement and land‑conservation needs.

"I'm Pegine Hanrahan with Trust for Public Land," Hanrahan said as she opened the briefing, describing TPL's national experience with ballot measures and local projects in Florida. Jim Couillard, Marion County parks and recreation director, told the board the department faces growing capital and maintenance demands and needs a long‑term, sustainable funding solution.

Hanrahan laid out three common local funding tools — general obligation bonds, voter‑dedicated property levies and sales taxes — and walked commissioners through a planning example. Using conservative assumptions (single issuance, 4% interest, 20‑year maturity), she said a $60 million bond in Marion County would require roughly 0.11 mills and "would translate to an $18 per year cost for the average single family home" under the model she presented.

Why it matters: county staff estimate millions in deferred maintenance and replacement needs across Marion County parks, while commissioners also discussed land acquisition and project expansion. The county must weigh the size of a question, how funds are distributed across districts, and how to fund ongoing operation and maintenance for new or renovated facilities.

Commissioners asked how TPL works with local partners. Hanrahan said TPL typically conducts feasibility research and polling (including live‑call polls in Spanish where appropriate) and expects campaigns to be locally driven and privately funded; TPL often provides polling and drafting support but not direct advocacy from county government. She cited recent Florida examples — Clay, Collier and Lake counties — where measures passed with strong voter margins after polling and outreach.

Commissioners pushed back on trade‑offs and risks. Several members warned about creating assets the county cannot afford to operate long term. One commissioner urged prioritizing regional projects and maximizing existing assets rather than building tournament‑scale sports complexes that could strain operations. A county staff member said earlier capital lists can be revised and that staff is prepared to help produce a refined project list for the commission to consider.

Next steps: commissioners agreed the county should move quickly to refine a prioritized capital list and provide TPL the details needed for feasibility work and polling. Hanrahan told the commission that, with a county list within about a month, TPL could return data before a May decision point; commissioners discussed targeting 2026 but also noted 2028 as a planning option. The board also gave consensus to schedule a March 17 public hearing on a separate ordinance modification related to low‑income non ad valorem assessment assistance.

Trust for Public Land said it can provide feasibility work at no cost to Marion County through philanthropic support (Hanrahan named Bellini Better World funding and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation as funders for related work in Florida). County staff will return to the commission with a prioritized capital list and revised cost estimates for commissioners to review before the polling and final decisions.

The workshop ended with the chair adjourning the meeting.