08-08-2007 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

In February 2007, Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. (HKGi) sent a survey on the use of park dedication to 110 Minnesota cities. A total of 56 cities returned surveys. This document summarizes the results of the 2007 Park Dedication Survey. The Survey is part of an ongoing effort by HKGi to understand the implications of statutory changes made in 2006 and to help cities define best practices for the use of park dedication. Later in 2007, we will be preparing a set of recommendations for park dedication regulations and the relationship to park planning. Use of Park Dedication Of the 56 cities that returned surveys, four of them do not currently require park dedication. The tabulation of results that follows relates to the 52 responding cities that use park dedication. Not everycityapplies parkdedication to non - residential development. Eight cities (15 %) only require park dedication for residential development. Money from park dedication fees is used to both acquire land and to improve parks. Over 80% (42 cities) use park dedication revenues to develop new parks. Thirty -eight cities (73 %) reported using funds for the improvement of existing parks. Most cities reported using revenues for multiple purposes. Only four cities use park dedication monies for a single purpose. The chart in Figure 1 shows the distribution of survey responses. Response to 2006 Legislation Many cities have not responded to the 2006 changes in the statute governing park dedication. Only 25_ %_of the_citiesxeported. making - amendments in its park dedication ordinance in response to the 2006 statutory changes. Among the statutory changes made in 2006 were the requirements to base a park dedication ordinance on an adopted "plan, requirements to give consideration to private "parks" that are open to the public, a determination of need for the dedicated land, and limitations on collecting park dedication from the "resubdivision" of property. Fee Adjustments Cities have worked to keep fees current. Almost half had adjusted fees in 2006 or 2007. The chart in Figure 2 shows the year of the most recent fee adjustment, the number of responses and the percent of survey responses. Figure 1 Use of Monies Collected From Park Dedication 50 90 37 42 38 6 ■ 'Open space'- Development of Improvement of Other acquisition preservation new parks— existing parks r'si® (c) 2007 Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. - 8 -