City Council Agenda and Packet 2023 01 24 SP

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Civic Participation and Volunteerism ... where the City engages, empowers, and encourages its citizens to think creatively, to volunteer, and to participate in community discussions and decisions through open dialogue, respectful discussions, and responsive action. Open, Efficient, and Fiscally Responsible Government ... where the City government is approachable, transparent, and ethical, and our management of fiscal resources is accountable, trustworthy, and prudent. The City of Louisville parks system includes several components that are unique to Louisville and not features or assets that are traditionally maintained by parks departments. The following items summarize several unique attributes that have a direct impact on departmental budgets and staffing needs: • Parks is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of grounds adjacent to civic facilities, including irrigation systems, turf lawns, and ornamental planting beds. • Parks assumes responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of sections of public right-of-way, including medians, which are labor intensive and require significant traffic control measures to ensure the safety and well-being of maintenance staff. • Parks assumes responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of entry features, open lands, and passive -use areas that are typically maintained by individual Homeowners Associations (HOAs). • Parks assumes responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the City of Louisville cemetery. Parks maintenance staff is responsible for burials, for the clean-up of debris/food left after family gatherings, and for maintenance of items that the bereaved have installed at individual grave sites such as benches, paving, trees, etc. Currently, there are regulations regarding permissible and non -permissible items and improvements; however, there are several items in the cemetery that were installed prior to the adoption of current regulations, which require additional time and maintenance. Over 50% of the rows in the cemetery contain obstacles that prevent use of standard mowers and require more involved, detail -oriented care. The cemetery also contains an abundance of mature trees that require ongoing maintenance by the arborist and, if not regularly maintained, also impede mowing regiments. • Parks maintenance staff is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the irrigation system, planting beds, and all trees at the Coal Creek Golf Course. • The City has made the Forester available to residents and property owners for consultations of trees located on private property. This is not typically a service that local municipalities provide and is deemed the responsibility of the homeowner/property owner to hire an arborist for private consultations. • There is significant pressure from residents to initiate and incorporate sustainability into parks operations and maintenance. Parks supports the sustainability initiatives. A few of the programs such as composting, dog waste composting, pollinator gardens, and integrated pest/weed management are labor intensive to fully implement. While these items are often integrated into urban/suburban parks and infrastructure systems, each new program requires a unique maintenance and management regime that impacts maintenance and operations budgets. The City has been open to expanding services based on requests from residents, but it should be noted that these programs are often offshoots of services typically provided by municipalities with significantly larger populations and resources. City of Louisville Parks Department Summary of Findings January 16, 2023 Page 6 PI