Parks Legacy Plan

Image of some aesthetic and safety issues found at various Denver parks.

Objective

To determine the extent to which the Department of Parks and Recreation ensures legacy fund dollars are used appropriately to improve and expand the park system and accelerate the implementation of the department’s 20-year strategic plan, the “Game Plan for a Healthy City.”

Background

In 2018, Denver voters approved a 0.25% sales tax increase to support the Parks, Trails, and Open Space program. The city passed an ordinance for the program — the Parks Legacy Fund — which restricts this new revenue stream to specific purposes including acquiring additional land for parks and developing and maintaining new and existing parks. Parks and Recreation is responsible for managing the fund.

Why this matters

Ensuring Parks and Recreation is using this voter-approved tax increase in line with the ordinance and is effectively communicating with the community and other stakeholders gives Denver voters assurance the department is expanding and taking care of the city’s park system, which is why they voted for a 0.25% sales and use tax increase.

Findings

Finding 1 - The Department of Parks and Recreation Should Improve Existing Business Practices to Ensure Alignment with the Ordinance and Leading Practices

• The department cannot demonstrate compliance with all ordinance requirements for the Parks Legacy Fund. Specifically, it has not sufficiently identified which expenses should be included in the calculation of administrative costs and has not distributed the annual report to all external stakeholders, as required.

 

• The department could increase its impact and effectiveness through better transparency by communicating to the public the status and success of projects and successes of the fund created through use of legacy dollars.

 

• The department should preserve institutional knowledge related to the Parks Legacy Fund through succession planning.
 
Finding 2 - The Department of Parks and Recreation Is Not Ensuring Appropriate Maintenance of All Parks

 

The department is acquiring new park assets while not ensuring existing facilities and land are sufficiently maintained and safe for the public and staff.

Recommendations

1.1 Revise Administrative Cost Policy and Procedure –  The Department of Parks and Recreation should revise its current administrative cost policy to reflect how administrative costs should be calculated. The policy and procedure should include, at a minimum, which personnel salaries should be included and at what percentage, and how to consistently identify which other allowable expenses related to administering the legacy fund should be included in the total. 

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – March 31, 2022

1.2 Develop, Document, and Implement Process for Annual Report Distribution – The Department of Parks and Recreation should develop, document, and implement a policy and procedure for ensuring the annual report related to legacy fund use is distributed according to city ordinance. 

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – March 31, 2022 

1.3  Review the Existing Communications Policy  –  The Department of Parks and Recreation should conduct and document an analysis of its existing communication plan to ensure it is meeting the department’s intended purpose of developing a better-informed public. This analysis should include what elements, such as funding sources or project timelines, must be communicated to the public, when they should be communicated, and how frequently the communication should be updated.

 Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – March 31, 2022 

1.4  Revise and Implement Communication Policy  –  After completion of the communication policy review in Recommendation 1.3, the Department of Parks and Recreation should revise and implement its communication policy to include changes identified in the analysis and to enhance its communication with the public, specifically about legacy funded projects. 

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date –  March 31, 2022

1.5  Develop and Document Succession Plans  –  The Department of Parks and Recreation should develop and document plans for succession and contingency planning, as it relates to the administration of the Legacy Fund, to ensure the department can continue achieving its objectives, such as those outlined in the ordinance, when staffing changes occur. This should include policies documenting the retention of organizational knowledge to mitigate the risk of knowledge loss, as well as the means to communicate this knowledge to external stakeholders.

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date –  March 31, 2022 

2.1  Conduct and Document a Formal Needs Assessment  –  The Department of Parks and Recreation should conduct and document a formal needs assessment to determine how to ensure parks are maintained properly and park hazards are quickly identified and corrected. The needs assessment should analyze existing and future maintenance needs, as well as the necessary frequency for conducting on-site park evaluations, to achieve agency goals and strategic plans. In combination with other planning data, the department should use the results of the needs assessment to inform decisions related to the use of the Parks Legacy Fund.   

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date –  March 31, 2022 

2.2  Conduct a Workforce Analysis  –   Using the results of the needs assessment, the Department of Parks and Recreation should conduct a workforce analysis to determine appropriate staffing resources to maintain existing assets while planning for the anticipated growth of the park system. The results of the workforce analysis and other planning data should be used to inform decisions related to the use of the Parks Legacy Fund.

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date –  June 30, 2022 

2.3  Standardize Evaluation Process  –   The Department of Parks and Recreation should identify a single evaluation form and train staff to conduct site evaluations following a standardized process to ensure parks are evaluated by the same quantitative and qualitative standards. In combination with other planning data, the department should use the results of the site evaluations to inform decisions related to the use of the Parks Legacy Fund.

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date  –  March 31, 2022  

2.4  Formalize Definition of Supplanting   –    The Department of Parks and Recreation should work with the City Attorney’s Office to formalize the definition of supplanting as it relates to the Parks Legacy Fund ordinance.

Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date  –  March 31, 2022     

Auditor's Letter

October 21, 2021

The objective of our audit of the Parks Legacy Plan managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation was to determine to what extent the department ensures the Parks Legacy Fund is used to fulfill its voter-approved mandate, namely to improve and expand the city’s park system. I am pleased to present the results of this audit.

The audit found Parks and Recreation should improve existing strategies to ensure alignment with the Parks Legacy Fund ordinance and leading practices. For example, the department has not sufficiently determined which expenses to include as administrative costs and did not distribute the annual report to all parties as required. Additionally, the department is not effectively communicating how fund dollars are spent to build and maintain parks for the public. Finally, the department is not ensuring appropriate maintenance of all parks even as it acquires land for new ones.

By implementing recommendations for stronger policies, Parks and Recreation will be better able to ensure compliance with the ordinance. Additionally, through increased transparency and communication, the public will be better informed about projects funded using dollars from the legacy fund. Finally, by conducting a needs assessment and workforce analysis, the department will be better able to monitor park conditions and identify the appropriate number of staff to maintain new and existing parks.

This performance audit is authorized pursuant to the City and County of Denver Charter, Article V, Part 2, Section 1, “General Powers and Duties of Auditor.” We conducted this performance audit in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

We extend our appreciation to the personnel in the Department of Parks and Recreation as well as in the Department of Finance and City Council who assisted and cooperated with us during the audit. For any questions, please feel free to contact me at 720-913-5000.

Denver Auditor,

Auditor's Signature
Timothy O'Brien, CPA

Follow-up report

A follow-up report is forthcoming. 

 

 

 

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AUDITOR TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, CPA
Denver Auditor


Denver Auditor´s Office

201 W. Colfax Ave. #705 Denver, CO 80202
Email: auditor@denvergov.org
Call: 720-913-5000
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