Recreation Commission Vote Set for August 6th
Launch the media gallery 1 playerDuring the past eighteen months, community members who are currently involved in recreational type activities met many times to discuss the possibility of establishing a recreation commission within the boundaries of USD #343. These community members have worked with various youth, senior citizens, adults, and the library program currently offered in our communities. The first question you may have is “what is a recreation commission?” Although recreation commissions vary from community to community in the State of Kansas, they all focus on providing recreational opportunities for children, adults, and senior citizens. Opportunities provided depend on what community members want, the facilities that are available, and the revenue available to fund the recreation commission. Examples may include youth sports organizations, summer programs for children, after-school programs for children, adult athletic leagues, evening programs for adults, activities for senior citizens, and trips for senior citizens.
You can look at a number of area recreation commissions and recreation departments to see the type of examples mentioned in the previous paragraph. The communities of Oskaloosa, McLouth, Valley Falls, Holton, Eudora, Baldwin, Lawrence, Tonganoxie, Osawatomie, and Ottawa all offer recreation activities for their community members. Their activities vary due to each commission’s goals and facilities. Many of these recreation commissions partner with the local school district who can provide access to facilities, and in some cases, even bus transportation for youth and senior citizen events.
The next question you may ask is “how is this funded?” A recreation commission can be funded in three ways. 1) By levying a tax through the local school district, 2) By levying a tax through the local city, 3) By levying a tax through a combination of a school district and cities. In our situation, it would make more sense to levy a tax through the local school district, as it has the largest tax base available. To begin a recreation commission, a “1 mill” tax would be levied to district taxpayers. “How much does this cost me?” For a homeowner whose home is valued at $150,000, a 1 mill tax would cost about $17.25 per year. That is about $1.44 per month, which is around the cost of a soft drink. (The mill levy amount on a home is the same for both Jefferson County and Douglas County residents.) Here is a fun fact; 131 school districts in Kansas levy a tax for a recreation commission!
In order to levy this tax for a recreation commission, the community must vote in favor of it. This is done during a local election, with the recreation commission item on a ballot. The next election is scheduled during the primary election date on August 6th, 2019. If we used the November election date, which is past the date of setting the district and recreation commission budget, funding would not begin until January of 2021, roughly 18 months away. If the election is successful in August, the budget can move forward with funding beginning in January of 2020.
What happens if the recreation commission is not approved? - Nothing. No tax is levied to patrons and no recreation commission is formed.
What happens if the recreation commission is approved? - At that time, the USD #343 Board of Education would appoint four members to comprise the first recreation commission. One member would be appointed to a 1-year term, another to a 2-year term, one for a 3-year term, and one to a 4-year term. These four members would then appoint a 5th commission member, who will serve a 4-year term. After these members are in place, they must develop a budget within the limits of their allotted 1 mill. (1 mill in our district generates around $70,000). These funds can be used for personnel and recreation programs. And then the work really starts! - The recreation commission will begin to develop goals based on the needs of the communities.
The Recreation Commission will only require a 1 mill tax to be established. Although an additional mill can be requested the following year, there is no guarantee that additional mills will be requested. Only 1 additional mill can be requested each year. The max number of mills that can be requested for a recreation commission is 4 mills. However, most recreation commission operating within a school district do not request that maximum amount, as many operate with 1 to 2.5 mills. The request of an additional mill would be made by the Recreation Commission members and not the Board of Education or the superintendent. Any time the Recreation Commission would request additional mill, the request is subject to protest or challenge by the voters of the school district and can be denied.
One step, as mentioned by the group of community members, was to begin a “phase one" process of bringing all of our youth sports under one umbrella. This could ease the way that parents register for youth programs and sports. I’m sure you would also see more of a systematic approach to scheduling facilities for practices and games. Youth officials would be assigned and trained by the commission, along with coaching positions, which should provide consistency for all. Another goal may be to include summer programs and activities. Perhaps setting up transportation for swimming lessons at an area swimming pool? Maybe organizing a trip to an event in Kansas City for senior citizens, expand library services, organize community wellness activities, and provide an organizational catalog or website to ease the process of enrolling in the various activities we have available.
Moving forward, perhaps a “phase two” might include after-school programs for elementary students similar to what you might see in a Boy’s and Girl’s club. What about a coed softball league for adults? I’m sure there are many other ideas that will benefit our communities. Should this pass the community vote, patrons will have the opportunity to provide input into the formation of the recreation commission.
Community members may have additional questions about a recreation commission in our community. In case you missed the public meeting on Saturday, March 30th held at Perry-Lecompton High school, an online presentation was produced. Here is a link to the online presentation. http://bit.ly/343_Rec_Info
For additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact one of the committee members listed below or USD #343 Superintendent, J.B. Elliott at (785) 597-5138.
Community members who have worked to gather information a recreation commission are Wayne Ledbetter, R.J. Brown, Brian Damme, Brenda Hastert, Paula Hladkey, Kent Houk, Greg Howard, Matt McPherson, Karla Meyer, Mike Paramore, and Scott Rousch.
Many area communities currently have a Recreation Commission in place. Below are links to a few of their website.
Osawatomie: http://www.osawatomieks.org/index.aspx?NID=265
Ottawa: https://orcottawaks.org
Valley Falls: http://valleyfalls.org/Recreation/City-Pool
Baldwin City: https://baldwincity.recdesk.com/Community/Page?pageId=6083
Lawrence: https://lawrenceks.org/lprd/