Agenda

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14.

City Council Regular Meeting

Meeting Date:

06/25/2019

BACKGROUND

At the May 21, 2019 Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting the board made a motion for staff to provide a written update to Council on their request to add $250,000 in dedicated trail funding to the Parks budget.
Advisory Board Vice Chair John Sullivan gave a presentation regarding the need for trails in Schertz based on the results of the 2016 Citizen Satisfaction Survey and the 2013 Parks & Recreation Master Plan, both of which showed trails and hiking and biking opportunities as top priorities.
There was much discussion about how trails have been talked about for many years, but only short segments or loops in parks have been added and the desire is to create a system of off-road trails (not sidewalks) that traverse longer distances and connect the different areas of the city. It was recognized that a dedicated funding mechanism was needed to accomplish this vision and the board felt – just like in the same vein that council injected $200,000 into deferred maintenance projects - a similar amount would need to be designated for trail development to be able to see a tangible difference in the miles of trails that are added each year and begin to achieve the goal.

GOAL

The goal is to have a dedicated funding mechanism to develop an off-road trail system in the City of Schertz.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board feels like an off-road trail system is something that Schertz could be known for in the region. Several members made the point that we don’t have the rivers that New Braunfels have, we don’t have the River Walk that San Antonio has, but we can be the city that has the best trail system in the region.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTION

The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board made a motion to recommend $250,000 in dedicated trail funding be added to the Parks Budget each year.

FISCAL IMPACT

The fiscal impact would be $250,000 in dedicated trail funding to be added to the Parks Budget each year.

RECOMMENDATION

The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board made a motion to recommend $250,000 in dedicated trail funding be added to the Parks Budget each year.