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San Ramon parks department launches seven‑month financial sustainability workshops to set cost‑recovery goals
Summary
Staff told the Parks & Community Services Commission they will run a seven‑month CPRS‑supported financial sustainability process to set cost‑recovery ranges, prioritize services and recommend fee policy; commissioners will workshop service categories and community engagement is planned.
Bradley Morris, division manager, introduced a multi‑month financial sustainability program for the Parks & Community Services (PCS) department and asked the commission to participate in workshops and exercises to set cost‑recovery ranges and subsidy priorities.
Morris and staff outlined a three‑leg framework the department will use: (1) service categories (for example, instructional, competitive, community events), (2) beneficiary of the service (who benefits, whether the common good or a narrow group), and (3) cost of service (direct and indirect costs). Kevin Boggs, recreation supervisor, described how service categories and beneficiary analysis reduce arbitrariness in prioritization.
Staff presented examples to prompt discussion: fully subsidized park access or infant swim lessons (public‑safety and access arguments) versus fee‑based competitive offerings such as elite pickleball. The approach can be program‑based (arts, sports) or activity‑based (intro classes vs. elite competition); staff said the commission must decide the spectrum of subsidy for each category.
Timeline and next steps: staff said they will run commissioner workshops in September to work on service categories in a hands‑on format, seek feedback on fee setting in November, and aim to bring a draft fiscal‑sustainability policy for commission review in February with subsequent Council consideration. Staff also noted they will partner with the finance department, present quarterly budget‑to‑actual reports, and use community engagement exercises as part of the process.
Why it matters: the exercise is designed to align program subsidy decisions with long‑term fiscal sustainability and to reduce reliance on Measure N, a one‑time funding source staff expect to sunset. Commissioners asked that the process include clear definitions for “need,” “want” and “demand,” baseline cost data, and opportunities for public input; staff agreed these items will be built into the workshop sequence.
