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METROPOLITAN COUNCIL REGIONAL PARK SYSTEM <br />Position: <br />Washington County supports $15 million of state bonding be dedicated to the Metropolitan Council's <br />regional park system for State financial year 2019-2020. <br />Issue: <br />Washington County owns, operates, and maintains four regional parks, two park reserves, one special <br />recreation feature, and two regional trails that are visited more than 1.4 million times every year. In a <br />2016 survey, county residents awarded the parks system the Top Rated County Service, Top County <br />Characteristic, and the Services and Facilities Most Used by 01derAdults. Washington County regional park <br />and trail facilities are one of the most visible and well -used services the county provides. In order to <br />continue providing high-quality amenities and services for all residents, the county must plan for future <br />park improvements, recreation facilities, and conservation protections. <br />Despite the natural resource and recreational value our parks and trails provide, the State has often not <br />met its responsibility to provide adequate funding for regional parks in the Twin Cities metro area. This <br />has resulted in placing undue fiscal burden on Washington County and other regional park agencies' <br />already tight budget. <br />Washington County depends on state bonding to the Metropolitan Council regional parks system for <br />ongoing acquisition, capital improvements, and parks operations and maintenance. The Metropolitan <br />Council matches funding received through state bonding and then passes along 100% of it to regional park <br />agencies. This provides the funding to address pertinent needs within the regional parks and trails system. <br />Washington County has four proposed projects in 2018-2019 that rely on state bonding to the <br />Metropolitan Council regional parks system. Lake Elmo Park Reserve requires trail connection <br />improvements, additional access for park users and emergency vehicles, and playground upgrades. St. <br />Croix Bluffs Regional Park requires improvements to the maintenance building in order to serve growing <br />park and trail needs in the southern part of the county. <br />Support and Opposition: <br />With the Metropolitan Council, ten partnering park implementing agencies that make-up the regional <br />park system are united in their support for increasing the amount of state bonding dedicated towards the <br />Metropolitan Council's regional park system. Natural resource-based agencies and organizations have <br />demonstrated support for this effort as well. <br />Opposition to Washington County's position may come from legislators who prioritize the allocation of <br />more resources to projects outside of the metropolitan area. <br />Previous Consideration: <br />In 2016, Washington County advocated for full funding of the Governor's $10 million request to be <br />dedicated to the Metropolitan Council's regional park system. This amount was reduced to $5 million, <br />impacting the projects that relied on this funding source. Washington County's request this session, an <br />increase from last year's request, would help alleviate the impact of reduced funding from previous years. <br />18 <br />