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AGENDA #3a(1)

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mayor and Town Council

FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT: Proposal to Fund the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways

DATE: March 24, 2003

The Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways requests that the Town Council appropriate $10,000 for the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways (Friends) organization. The attached resolution would authorize the Manager to execute a performance agreement with the Friends and allocate $10,000 for this purpose.

In the current year’s budget, the remaining funds in the contingency account now totals just over $6,000. In order to replenish the contingency account, the attached budget ordinance would appropriate an additional $40,000 from General Fund fund balance to the contingency account to provide funds for the remainder of the current year. The attached ordinance would then also allocate $10,000 for Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation and Greenways program.

DISCUSSION

The Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that was established in the 1990s to aid the operation of the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department. Since that time the organization has functioned as a conduit for small donations earmarked for various Department programs and facilities. Donors usually give money to the Friends for specific reasons and in exchange receive tax benefits because of the organization’s non-profit status. Recently the Friends group has explored the possibility of moving from a largely passive role to that of actively soliciting membership, funds from individual and businesses, and grants.

The group has asked the Council to provide $10,000 in funds to hire a part-time administrator and purchase basic supplies and services. The purpose of the funding would be to allow the group to develop a fund-raising program.

We believe the Friends’ proposal would be a worthwhile experiment. If the original investment is productive, then the Friends and the Council could consider extension of the program.

RECOMMENDATION

Town Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the Manager to enter into a performance agreement with Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways for the purpose of developing a fund-raising program that would benefit the Town’s parks and recreation programming and facilities; and, that the Council adopt the attached ordinance allocating $10,000 for this purpose.

ATTACHMENTS

Seed Funding Proposal (p. 5).

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MANAGER TO PROVIDE $10,000 TO THE FRIENDS OF CHAPEL HILL PARKS, RECREATION, AND GREENWAYS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MARKETING PROGRAM TO INCREASE DONATIONS TO THE TOWN’S PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT (2003-03-24/R-2)

WHEREAS, the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways is an existing 501(c)3 non-profit organization established to provide support to the Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation Department; and,

WHEREAS, the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways has provided services to the Department since the 1990s; and,

WHEREAS, the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways desires to increase its level of support to the Department;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Manager to enter into a performance agreement with the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways for the purpose of developing and implementing a fund-raising program that would be designed to increase the number and scope of donations designated for the Chapel Hill parks and recreation programs and facilities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Council that the performance agreement with the Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways would require:

The Friends of Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, and Greenways to use the funds for the development and implementation of a fund-raising program designed to increase funds for the Chapel Hill parks and recreation programs and facilities.
An accounting, after one year, of the uses the organization made of the funds and its level of success in raising funds for parks and recreation programs and facilities.

This the 24^th day of March, 2003.

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND “THE ORDINANCE CONCERNING APPROPRIATIONS AND THE RAISING OF REVENUE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2002” (2003-03-24/O-1)

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Budget Ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Concerning Appropriations and the Raising of Revenue for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2002” as duly adopted on July 26, 2002, be and the same is hereby amended as follows:

ARTICLE I

APPROPRIATIONS	Current Budget	Increase	Decrease	Revised Budget

GENERAL FUND

Non-Departmental
Contingency	9,329	35,000	10,000	34,329

Agency Allocations	617,203	10,000		627,203

REVENUES	Current Budget	Increase	Decrease	Revised Budget

GENERAL FUND	1,716,561	35,000		1,751,561

This is the 24^th day of March, 2003.

This the 24th day of March, 2003.

This the 24^th day of March, 2003.