Analysis by Dean Silver

The Memo

On March 30, City Manager Joe Lessard and Finance Director Alison Chan sent a memo to the City Council and Department Directors, as well as the “Park Commission” regarding “future financial operations”.

In it, they wrote:

Every department director is directed to prepare budget reduction plans for their department’s
General Fund expenditures for the second year of the current biennium budget (fiscal year 2022-2023) as follows:
Public Safety Departments 5% budget reduction plan
Other General Fund Departments 5% and 10% budget reduction plans

Budget reduction plans are to be submitted to the Finance Director by Friday, April 15th. Appointments will be schedule for Department Directors to present their budget reduction plans to the City Manager and Finance Director beginning the week of April 18th.

The Ashland Parks and Rec Department is a General Fund Department.

The APRC Study Session

The Parks and Rec Commission had a study session scheduled for April 6.  It was canceled without public explanation.  It would seem to have been the perfect opportunity to discuss the upcoming budget adjustments.

The Pushback

The agenda for the upcoming APRC business meeting includes a report from APRD Director Michael Black. In it he acknowledges receipt of the aforementioned memo; he includes a copy in the agenda.  He writes:

We are preparing for a 5%-10% cut in GF contributions next fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2022.

We are only placing this matter on the agenda because we need to inform the Commissioners
and discuss a special meeting that will be required for the Commissioners to decide on how to
absorb the cuts in revenue.

 He goes on to quote the City charter, as he does at every opportunity:

The City of Ashland Charter, Article XIX, Section 3. Funding, states that “The said Park
Commission […] shall have control and management of all park funds, whether the same is
obtained by taxation, donation or otherwise, and shall expend the same judiciously for
beautifying and improving the City’s parks.

And then, the statement that leads me to believe that he denies the City Manager’s prerogative:

The City may adjust the GF contribution to APRC; however, the Commissioners, having control
of the funds once they are “obtained” will need to decide where or what programs will be cut
as a result. I do not plan to propose any cuts at the meeting on the 13th of April.

The Timeline

March 30: City Manager’s Memo mandating budget reduction plans

April 6: Parks and Recreation Commission Study Session canceled

April 7: APRD Director’s report published in agenda

April 13: Parks and Recreation Commission Business Meeting

April 15: Budget reduction plans due to Finance Director

April 18: Begin to schedule appointments for the Department Directors to present their plans to the City Manager and Finance Director

The Questions

• Does Michael Black, the Director of the Parks and Rec, believe that he is exempt from these “planning steps”, specifically the schedule mandated by the City Manager?
• Does he intend to refuse to engage in this planning, claiming that the Charter exempts APR?
• Does he intend to simply ignore the direction of the City Manager?
• Why did the Parks and Rec Commission cancel their study session?  It would seem to have been the perfect, opportunity to discuss these issues.  Why wasn’t it rescheduled to deal with this issue in a timely manner before the business meeting? 
• Will the Parks and Rec Director and/or Commission have a plan ready to present as required?  Will any action be taken regarding this issue prior to the deadline by either the Director of the Department or the Commission?
• How will the City Manager respond if the Parks and Rec Director and/or Commission fail to meet the timeline?
• Who benefits from this jurisdictional dispute? Who is harmed by it?

The Takeaway

The city’s budget is under extreme stress.  The City Manager is taking steps to rectify the situation. It will require every department to work together for the common good. The resistance shown by Michael Black to the process is exactly the wrong attitude that we need from Department heads. This is no time for a power struggle in City Hall.

This is just one more clear example of why Michael Black is not the right person to be leading Parks and Rec during these difficult financial times.

It is also one more reason why the Parks and Rec Department must be brought back into the structure of the city government as a standard department under the direct supervision of the City Manager.  The Charter will need to be changed by a vote of the citizens to accomplish that.  It can’t happen soon enough.

You can read the APRC meeting agenda here: https://www.ashland.or.us/SIB/files/_Packet_4_13_22_RegularMeeting.pdf

You can find the City Charter here: https://www.ashland.or.us/SIB/files/Charter/ARTICLE%2019%20Park%20Commission.pdf

You will be able to watch the APRC meeting of April 13 at 6 pm on RVTV here: https://rvtv.sou.edu/ Click on RVTV PRIME.