CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Memo Date: May 30, 2024
Agenda Date: July 9, 2024
Prepared By: Abby Morgan, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer
Through: Stockton Whitten, City Manager
Requested Action:
title
Approve the District 4 Brevard County Parks and Recreation Interlocal Agreement.
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BACKGROUND:
Brevard County Recreation District 4 is a taxing district that levies property taxes on the Cities of Cocoa, Rockledge, and a portion of the unincorporated County. The district's governing board comprises the Cities of Cocoa, Rockledge, and Brevard County members.
Brevard County has operated and maintained all the parks in Recreation District 4, including all Cocoa and Rockledge Parks, through Interlocal Agreements for over 40 years. The current Interlocal Agreement with the City of Cocoa expired in 2011, and the Interlocal Agreement with Rockledge expires in 2031.
Under the expired Interlocal Agreement, the County assumed the costs of operations and maintenance as well as some capital improvements to the Parks within the City of Cocoa except for: Bracco Pond Park, Cocoa Conservation Area, Cocoa Riverfront Park, Johnnie Johnson Nature Trails, Lee Wenner Park and Taylor Park. The City of Cocoa has also provided for some investments into their Parks.
The Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department has continued to operate and maintain the City Parks and make capital investments in cooperation with the City of Cocoa. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, Recreation District 4 generated $568,957 within the City of Cocoa. The expenses for the Cocoa Parks operations, maintenance, and capital projects totaled $1,683,713, leaving the County to fund the remaining deficit.
In the last couple of years, the City has provided comments on the County proposed Interlocal Agreement. The latest proposed Interlocal Agreement includes several updates, language clauses, and notifications. It also addresses responsibility for utility payment and termination language. The current Interlocal Agreement differs significantly from the expired Interlocal Agreement in the County’s responsibilities in utilizing District 4 taxes. The current Interlocal Agreement presented to Cocoa would require the City to maintain or replace any equipment or fixture over $5,000. In addition, once the City of Cocoa's expenditures exceed the Recreation District 4 tax revenues, the County will only be responsible for 50% of the operating and maintenance of the parks and no amount above $2,500 for any other costs outside of staffing.
On April 24, 2024, Brevard Board of County Commissioners approved direction to staff regarding the proposed Interlocal Agreement with the City of Cocoa for the operation and maintenance of Cocoa parks with the following options:
1. Present the proposed Interlocal Agreement to the City of Cocoa as is for their approval by October 1, 2024.
2. If the City does not approve the Interlocal Agreement by July 31, 2024, the County will notify the City that it will cease to maintain the City of Cocoa Parks on October 1, 2024, at the beginning of the fiscal year.
Staff has worked with the County and has come to agreement on the terms and conditions of the interlocal agreement. It will be effective when all parties have executed the agreement and will expire on September 19, 2031. The City will have to budget for these parks costs for each year of the contract. Staff has included approximately $500,000 in the FY24 budget as estimated costs as a result of this interlocal agreement.
Staff requests approval of the interlocal agreement with Brevard County for parks maintenance.
STRATEGIC PLAN CONNECTION:
Comprehensive Plan Policy 10.1.1.1: Continue the inter-governmental coordination involved in the established Brevard County Parks and Recreation District 4.
BUDGETARY IMPACT:
If the city enters into the Interlocal Agreement, there will be annual budgetary impacts.
PREVIOUS ACTION:
Enter text here
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Recommendation
Approve the District 4 Brevard County Parks and Recreation Interlocal Agreement.