The South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District’s proposed $1.03 million operating budget for 2016 includes money for the purchase of a new campground, two mowers, and a 5 percent pay hike for administrators, according to budget documents.
The budget estimates that $259,165 will be left in the maintenance and operations, capital, project, and bond funds at the end of 2016, while district’s separate reserve balance is projected to begin at $199,628 and end at $202,930.
The draft budget, presented to commissioners during their regular monthly meeting last week, also includes a budget roadmap for the next five years. It outlines a 1 percent growth annually, as allowed under state law until 2020, but that does not include revenue earned from the future campground, which is expected to be operational by the summer of 2017, according to Parks Director Doug Coutts. Coutts said that because the project is still early in the process, the district has only done high-level projections and has not yet decided further details such as the number of campsites or charges per night.
At a cost of $390,000, the 30-acre parcel immediately adjacent to Community Park is the most costly of South Whidbey Parks’ expenditures. The property, currently owned by the Estate of Dora Norene Gabelein, will be paid off in increments of $28,971 per year. The district will also have opportunities to apply for grants, which can decrease the cost of the loan.
“I think it’s definitely something we can afford,” Coutts said of the loan payment plan. “I think it’s something that once we’re able to get that campground in there and running, it will pay back that loan with its operational revenues.”
Coutts will earn $78,419 as parks director in 2016, a $3,051 increase from his 2015 wage. Coutts’ pay increased because of the district’s merit-based pay increase system as well as a 2 percent cost of living adjustment, based on the employment cost index, per board policy on salary administration.
A step-in-grade compensation system was implemented by the district in January of 2015 for all full-time positions.
“He’s very organized. I think he’s done well so far,” said Parks Commissioner Joel Gerlach of Coutts. “It seems for this year, as of this last meeting, we’re ahead of the budget and our spending is down.”
According to budget documents, Coutts’ wage will have increased 14 percent since 2014, from $67,194 to the projected $78,419 next year. Under the same system and during the same period, the other top two district earners also saw their salaries increase. An administrator’s pay rose from $45,342 to a projected $51,316 in 2016, and a maintenance supervisor’s salary increased from $58,406 to $66,753.
The director and recreation program supervisor were identified by an independent consultant as being below the salary range for their position, according to Coutts.
The board of commissioners have until the next district meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 to review the budget and return with any questions or concerns they may have. A budget workshop will be held prior to the meeting at 6 p.m.
“We’re maintaining our reserves and making sure, no matter what, we can keep the park open,” Gerlach said. “We have to decide at the end — is everything affordable? And we look (at) where we need to push back. It’s still in the early stages.”
Parks Commissioner Matt Simms credited the district’s “mature” financial decisions for enabling expenditures such as the future campground.
“That’s the kind of flexibility a more mature financial system gives you and a staff performing extremely well,” Simms said. “They do a great job of controlling expenses in situations like this. We would not have been able to, had the staff not been handling the expenses as well as they have this year.”
Property taxes are expected to bring in $636,094 for maintenance and operations in the parks district in 2016.
Expenses are projected to rise by 9.1 percent to $798,514. From the expenditures, $522,092 will be distributed to the administration, $143,950 to maintenance and $132,372 to programs.
The administration budget rose from its 2015 total of $483,856 in order to compensate the merit-based increases in wages and the cost of living adjustment for district employees, as well as the promotion of a maintenance supervisor.
Program expenditures also increased in anticipation of hiring more flaggers to work at the district’s annual summer event, the Whidbey Triathlon.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story confused the total administration budget increase with personal salary hikes. Administrators are getting a 5 percent raise.
