ONTARIO PARKS RECREATION & PARKS MASTER PLAN
COST RECOVERY AND PER CAPITA SPENDING Ontario currently does not have a pricing and cost recovery policy. However, measurement of cost recovery is a useful metric. As a result of a community process, an overall cost recovery goal can be established for the Department related to the program or service. The cost recovery goals can then be used to develop new programs and service, establish facility usage goals and priorities for those uses, and help to define partnerships and community priorities. The National Recreation and Park Association tracks key indicators of an agency’s financial health and efficiency which can guide agency staff to better meet the important park and recreation needs of their community. The 2020 NRPA Agency Performance Review presents an excellent collection of park and recreation benchmarks to gauge the level of investment the City of Ontario is currently making in its park and recreation system. While this is a good tool, it is not intended to be a set of national standards, but simply one way of evaluating available resources and financial performance. Unique park and recreation agencies across the United States (1,053) contributed by reporting their data. The review presents data for typical, similarly sized organizations as Ontario using ranges from low to high and the median data available. Figure 5-1: 2017-2020 Expenses to Revenue Diagram
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The results of the 2020 NRPA Agency Performance Report show that the typical parks and recreation agency recovers about 26 percent of its operating expenses from non-tax revenues. For the Fiscal Year 2019/2020, the City of Ontario Recreation & Community Services Department recovered 14 percent for all services including administration. Because of the way expenses and revenues are collected and reported, only an overall comparison was available. Figure 5-1 illustrates the three-year trend for cost recovery by the Department. It should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic occurred the last quester of FY 19-20 and impacted revenues. Another way to look at revenues and expenses is on a per capita basis. Using the DATA USA estimates for the population of Ontario of 173,580, the City spent $39.77 for recreation service expenses per capita while generating $5.42 in revenues from programs and services in FY 19-20. However, using FY 18-19, a non-COVID year, the City spent $37.12 while generating $8.26 in revenue. This is compared to the national average of communities of $81.19 for expenses and $41.95 per capita for cities under 250,000 residents.
EXPLORE ADDITIONAL FUNDING OPTIONS Find additional ways that the city can gain financial support to help the city grow and flourish. »
Consider pursuing bond referendums to help fund multiple/capital projects, especially those whose costs are high and/or can provide multiple benefits to more than one park facility.
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Evaluate the non-resident fee structure and consider adjusting fees to ensure non-residents are paying the entire cost of programs, rentals, and activities they participate in.
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Reevaluate current contracts with partners and seek out new and creative public/private partnerships as a means to enhance the variety of recreational amenities available to the community. Consider opportunities with developers to incorporate needed enhancements through new development and recreational attraction.
