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24 | EXISTING CONDITIONS + NEEDS NRPA AGENCY BENCHMARKS MILES OF TRAILS LOCAL 49 mi. WASHINGTON CO. 33 mi. ACRES OF PARKLAND PER 1,000 RESIDENTS OPERATING EXPENDITURES PER ACRE OF PARK & RECREATION SPACE OPERATING EXPENDITURES PER RESIDENT 82 37.1 $833.27 $31.93$31.93 PARK AND RECREATION AGENCY BENCHMARKS To support the wide range of needs, interests and lifestyles of park and trail users in their communities, park and recreation agencies must offer a variety of facilities, amenities, and programming opportunities. This requires the right amount of staff to support the development and continued maintenance of those facilities and amenities. In the 2024 NRPA Agency Performance Review report, a number of top-line findings pertaining to park facilities, programming, the responsibilities of park and recreation agencies, staffing, budget, agency funding, and policies are described. Some highlights from those top-line findings are shown to the right. The table on the next page provides a brief overview of various NRPA agency benchmarks and compares the typical U.S. park and recreation agency to Lake Elmo. A few key takeaways from the table include: • In terms of the number of parks, park acreage, trail mileage, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, Lake Elmo is well above the typical park and recreation agency • Lake Elmo has very limited park and recreation agency staffing and therefore has fewer full- time staff members per 10,000 residents than is typical; more staff is needed to accommodate an ever expanding city and park and trail system • Lake Elmo spends much less in operating expenditures than the typical park and recreation agency; annual operating expenditures are also much lower than the typical agency RESIDENTS PER PARK 573