1/13/13

CLP DEDICATED TAX. RESERVE $701,977 NOT INCLUDING THIS FISCAL YEAR

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Presentation at NPAs by City's Consultant: 15 minute Power Point slide show to provide:
  1. An overview of the 2000 Open Space Protection Plan;
  2. A summary of what has been accomplished so far from that plan;
  3. An overview of the Open Space Protection Plan update process;
  4. A few ideas that have come forth from the Conservation Board to include in this update of the plan; and
  5. Different avenues for public input. 
Following the presentation, we [city] will take questions from the NPA audience (10 minutes) and then we [city] would like to have time for people who are ready to provide input to do so.  We will have paper maps available for people to identify important open spaces that they use and flip charts for citizens to give us their ideas.  Depending on the audience, this may take more or less time, but for planning purposes, let’s count on 20 minutes. 
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Information Requested by NPA:
  • up to date report on conserved land
  • accounting of the received, spent, and available funds
  • policy and authorizing documents 
Response from Parks Dept:
"To date we have spent $27,768 (47%) of the operational/stewardship portion and $3,000 (2%) of the capital portion...Currently there is $701,977 in reserve not including this fiscal year."  Deryk Roach, Superintendent of Parks
The “up to date report of conserved land” is what is being proposed towards [NPAs] over the next couple months.  It is an update to the existing guiding policy and planning document, the Open Space Protection Plan (200 Report) approved by the Council. 


The plan provides good detail about its purpose and the lands currently inventoried as part of the conservation program.  The presentation will get into more specifics as to which parts are being proposed to be updated, or from the public’s perspective they can provide feedback as to which portions they find great value.  FYI, there are also other sub-reports that further define specific management plans to protect and expand upon management plans where they might not exist or their use or potential aren’t defined appropriately.  Examples of these reports are:  Ethan Allen Park Site AssessmentMcKenzie Property Management PlanMt. Calvary Red Maple Wetland Management PlanArms Property Management Plan; Invasive Species Report

The annual budget for CLP [land conservation] is $197,713 which is funded by a dedicated tax.  The budget is split into operation $59,713 (30%) and capital $138,000 (70%) components.  To date we have spent $27,768 (47%) of the operational/stewardship portion and $3,000 (2%) of the capital portion.  The capital portion rolls over from one year to the next, and if the stewardship funds aren’t spent in their entirety they are rolled into the capital portion.  Currently there is $701,977 in reserve not including this fiscal year. 
Deryk Roach, Superintendent of Parks
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