2021 City of Shakopee Budget

117

Budget Impact: Shakopee’s parks, trails, and recreation facilities improve the local tax base and increase property values. National studies cite quality parks and recreation as key factors that businesses and prospective homeowners consider when making relocation decisions. Consequently, Shakopee’s parks, trails, and recreation facilities are a tangible reflection of the high quality of life available to citizens in the community. Shakopee is a community that affords residents access to programs and places which can help reduce stress, lower health care costs, and deepen connections with others, as well as opportunities and spaces to explore the community and recreate outdoors in nature. Repercussions of COVID-19 have had devastating impact on services, programs, and events that Shakopee Parks and Recreation could offer in 2020, dramatically reducing those of those willing and able to participate. Yet, the department continues to leverage creative collaborative partnerships, innovative solutions, and emerging technologies to deliver an expanding menu of safe recreational opportunities to improve the quality of life for Shakopee citizens amid this pandemic. Growth trends in our key measures were disrupted by the COVID-19 closures, cancellations, and modifications. Ice arena rentals rebounded despite capacity restrictions, which translated to increased revenues in historically low-peak windows. While new Community Center memberships are beginning to close the gap left by COVID-19 membership cancellations. Parks and Recreation Staff constantly strive to ensure that customers have a safe and positive experience every time they step into a facility, participate in a program, or attend an event in a Shakopee park or virtually. Certain staffing positions have a tremendous amount of turnover and filling those vacancies is very difficult with such a competitive market in today’s economy. Staffing remains a constant challenge because it is the key to offering quality customer service and is critical to maintaining quality programs and facilities. In the year ahead, Shakopee has the opportunity to consider building on it's strong reputation in the field of parks and recreation by implementing proposed upgrades to SandVenture along with the development of other parks and trails in the community. Private/public partnerships and sponsorships are critical if these citizen requests are to come to fruition, continuing to build on Shakopee’s strong sense of service and public pride in our community.

EMPLOYEES

PERCENT OF GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES

16

16

16

14

Recreation 14.0%

Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Budget 2020 Budget 2021

Number of Employees (FTEs)