Below are 3 letters printed in the Ocilla Star laying out a plan for how to move forward with recreation in all of Irwin County. While there are certainly details to fill in as we go forward, this proposes a framework to create better organization and to direct more dedicated resources for the purposes of recreation and leisure for all ages. The Town Hall meeting mentioned in each article was held with 43 people in attendance.
The Way Forward for Recreation
printed in The Ocilla Star on October 26, 2016
There has been much discussion recently about increasing our focus on recreation. Now it is time for action. As soon as I became Ocilla’s Mayor last October, I got engaged in this issue. I regularly had conversations with DeWayne Vickers and members of the Irwin County Recreation Board. I have also had many conversations with members of the community; some with school-age children now, some whose kids are grown but still see the need for this generation, and some who do not have children but still see the need for more activities in our community for all. There is clearly a deep desire to enhance the recreation and leisure activities in Ocilla and Irwin County. However, we have not been able to build a program on desire alone. The obstacles to building our programs so far have been the lack of resources in 2 areas: dedicated funds for new facilities (and the maintenance and operations of these facilities,) and a dedicated staff to run operations which include traditional recreation sports programs, but also other recreation and leisure activities for citizens of all ages and interests.
In my short time as Mayor, I have studied to find solutions to these complex problems. I have been in discussions with recreation leaders from other communities to see how they were able to get the resources they need and how they keep things going. I sought out a class specifically dedicated to Parks and Recreation programs, and through this class met key staff members of the GA Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA.) Through study and conversations with experts in the field, as well as through conversations with other local leaders at the Irwin County Commission and Irwin County Board of Education, I propose the following plan in 2 main parts.
First, I propose that Ocilla and Irwin County form a Parks and Recreation Authority. This new organization will work in much the same way as our Industrial Development Authority does. It will have a board made up of members from the City and County governments with dedicated tax dollars that can only be used for the purpose of Parks and Recreation.
Once the Authority is established we will need a jumpstart on recreation facilities. For this I propose that we use a portion of our SPLOST dollars for facilities. A vote on SPLOST occurs every 6 years, and the uses of the funds must be agreed upon by City and County leaders. I have already been in conversations with Chairman Joey Whitley about this and there is agreement that we can split off some of the funds for the purpose of building recreation facilities, potentially on Irwin County land near our school campuses.
There are many details to be discussed, many more than can be put in this letter. I will go more in depth on each of these steps in the following weeks. I also invite the public to a town hall meeting for the purpose of discussing “The Way Forward for Recreation” on Monday, November 14, 2016 at the Ocilla Community House at 6:00PM.
printed in The Ocilla Star on October 26, 2016
There has been much discussion recently about increasing our focus on recreation. Now it is time for action. As soon as I became Ocilla’s Mayor last October, I got engaged in this issue. I regularly had conversations with DeWayne Vickers and members of the Irwin County Recreation Board. I have also had many conversations with members of the community; some with school-age children now, some whose kids are grown but still see the need for this generation, and some who do not have children but still see the need for more activities in our community for all. There is clearly a deep desire to enhance the recreation and leisure activities in Ocilla and Irwin County. However, we have not been able to build a program on desire alone. The obstacles to building our programs so far have been the lack of resources in 2 areas: dedicated funds for new facilities (and the maintenance and operations of these facilities,) and a dedicated staff to run operations which include traditional recreation sports programs, but also other recreation and leisure activities for citizens of all ages and interests.
In my short time as Mayor, I have studied to find solutions to these complex problems. I have been in discussions with recreation leaders from other communities to see how they were able to get the resources they need and how they keep things going. I sought out a class specifically dedicated to Parks and Recreation programs, and through this class met key staff members of the GA Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA.) Through study and conversations with experts in the field, as well as through conversations with other local leaders at the Irwin County Commission and Irwin County Board of Education, I propose the following plan in 2 main parts.
First, I propose that Ocilla and Irwin County form a Parks and Recreation Authority. This new organization will work in much the same way as our Industrial Development Authority does. It will have a board made up of members from the City and County governments with dedicated tax dollars that can only be used for the purpose of Parks and Recreation.
Once the Authority is established we will need a jumpstart on recreation facilities. For this I propose that we use a portion of our SPLOST dollars for facilities. A vote on SPLOST occurs every 6 years, and the uses of the funds must be agreed upon by City and County leaders. I have already been in conversations with Chairman Joey Whitley about this and there is agreement that we can split off some of the funds for the purpose of building recreation facilities, potentially on Irwin County land near our school campuses.
There are many details to be discussed, many more than can be put in this letter. I will go more in depth on each of these steps in the following weeks. I also invite the public to a town hall meeting for the purpose of discussing “The Way Forward for Recreation” on Monday, November 14, 2016 at the Ocilla Community House at 6:00PM.
The Way Forward for Recreation-Part 2 (Setting up a Parks and Recreation Authority)
printed in The Ocilla Star on November 2, 2016
In last week’s Ocilla Star, I presented the framework for “The Way Forward for Recreation” in our community. Today, I will go into greater detail on the Parks and Recreation Authority. As mentioned last week, this Authority would work much like our Industrial Development Authority. It would be a completely separate organization with a board made up of elected officials from the City of Ocilla and Irwin County. I would like us to also include representation from the Irwin County School Board as well as at-large members of the Authority chosen from the community.
The Authority will have a budget that will not compete with other aspects of city or county management. This would come primarily from property taxes, just as the Industrial Authority budget does. This does not have to mean a tax increase though. As Mayor of Ocilla, I will be proposing that the City reduce its millage rate by at least the amount that the new Authority charges. This will keep taxes the same for City property owners, not increase them. I cannot make any claims for Irwin County, but this new structure will take some burden off of the County government and ensure recreation can build and grow even if a local government falls into financial trouble thanks to the financial separation.
In addition to the separate funding, we should let this new Authority handle current resources for recreation purposes. I will be proposing that the new Authority take responsibility for City properties, like the parks, Community House, and Neighborhood Center. The revenue generated from the use of these properties can add to the budget for recreation. Contributions of resources from the City, County and School Board will create a self-sustaining organization to achieve the goals we have wanted for our community.
The Authority would have the ability to hire staff members for the day to day operation of parks, sports programs and other activities as the board sees fit. This would allow us to create a team to join Coach DeWayne Vickers. The Authority could be responsible for much more than just the youth sports we often associate with traditional recreation, and we will need a staff dedicated to recreation (in all forms) in our community.
This plan does not solve all of the issues we will face, but it does give us the right framework to build a standalone organization for our parks and recreation programs. Forming this Authority requires legislation through the Georgia General Assembly, and I have already been in lengthy conversations with our State Senator Tyler Harper, who has committed to help us in this process. It can be accomplished in the upcoming legislative session as long as we have agreement from both the Ocilla City Council and the Irwin County Commission, who both need to pass resolutions asking our state legislators to take this action.
Next week I will write about the jumpstart we can get using SPLOST to build much needed recreation facilities. I invite you again to join me at a Town Hall meeting to discuss “The Way Forward for Recreation” on Monday, November 14, 2016 at 6 PM at the Ocilla Community House. There we can discuss this topic in great detail and collaborate to do great things together.
The Way Forward for Recreation-Part 3 (Using SPLOST for Recreation Facilities)
printed in The Ocilla Star on November 9, 2016
Last week I gave details about the need for establishing a Parks and Recreation Authority for Ocilla-Irwin County. Once that is done, we need to get a good start on our recreation facilities. The formation of the Authority will allow us to apply for grants and programs such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), as an example. While there are several possible programs we could benefit from, to insure that we get a good start on building our programs, I propose that we dedicate SPLOST dollars to the building and improving of our recreation facilities, and the timing is right to do this now. SPLOST is voted on by the citizens of Irwin County after the City of Ocilla and Irwin County have agreed on the split and the dedicated purposes for the funds brought in from this extra penny sales tax. SPLOST comes up for negotiation and a referendum vote every 6 years and the last vote we had was in November of 2011, meaning we are due for another one in the fall of 2017. Some of the funds could continue to be used by Irwin County and the City of Ocilla for road repair and maintenance and other purposes, but a portion of the tax revenues could be used specifically for building recreation facilities.
This could work in much the same way as the Irwin County Courthouse renovation was conducted. With the debt for the courthouse set to be paid off next year, we can issue new bonds for the construction of new recreation facilities with the same dollars that have gone towards the courthouse in recent years. These facilities could potentially be built on land that the County already owns near the school campuses. If the revenue generated in the next 6 years does not get us where we want to be with recreation facilities, we can include it in the next SPLOST vote 6 years from now. Multiple SPLOST cycles were used to pay for the new Stadium and Auditorium at the school as well as the County Courthouse, so we could certainly use SPLOST for county wide recreation facilities for years to come.
The road ahead has been cleared for us. It is now our job to take the action required. We need to establish the Ocilla-Irwin County Parks and Recreation Authority and then empower that Authority with SPLOST dollars to build our much needed facilities. While this plan will have to be supplemented with other fundraising efforts to pay for everything we might want, it will make a great start for building a program and securing the resources to begin.
If you support this proposal, or if you have questions or concerns, I invite you to join me for a town hall meeting on “The Way Forward for Recreation” on Monday, November 14th at 6PM at the Ocilla Community House. While I believe this is a good direction for us to build and enhance our recreation programs for all, I want to give the public a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and hopefully, to get behind this movement for the betterment of our community. I look forward to seeing you there.
printed in The Ocilla Star on November 9, 2016
Last week I gave details about the need for establishing a Parks and Recreation Authority for Ocilla-Irwin County. Once that is done, we need to get a good start on our recreation facilities. The formation of the Authority will allow us to apply for grants and programs such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), as an example. While there are several possible programs we could benefit from, to insure that we get a good start on building our programs, I propose that we dedicate SPLOST dollars to the building and improving of our recreation facilities, and the timing is right to do this now. SPLOST is voted on by the citizens of Irwin County after the City of Ocilla and Irwin County have agreed on the split and the dedicated purposes for the funds brought in from this extra penny sales tax. SPLOST comes up for negotiation and a referendum vote every 6 years and the last vote we had was in November of 2011, meaning we are due for another one in the fall of 2017. Some of the funds could continue to be used by Irwin County and the City of Ocilla for road repair and maintenance and other purposes, but a portion of the tax revenues could be used specifically for building recreation facilities.
This could work in much the same way as the Irwin County Courthouse renovation was conducted. With the debt for the courthouse set to be paid off next year, we can issue new bonds for the construction of new recreation facilities with the same dollars that have gone towards the courthouse in recent years. These facilities could potentially be built on land that the County already owns near the school campuses. If the revenue generated in the next 6 years does not get us where we want to be with recreation facilities, we can include it in the next SPLOST vote 6 years from now. Multiple SPLOST cycles were used to pay for the new Stadium and Auditorium at the school as well as the County Courthouse, so we could certainly use SPLOST for county wide recreation facilities for years to come.
The road ahead has been cleared for us. It is now our job to take the action required. We need to establish the Ocilla-Irwin County Parks and Recreation Authority and then empower that Authority with SPLOST dollars to build our much needed facilities. While this plan will have to be supplemented with other fundraising efforts to pay for everything we might want, it will make a great start for building a program and securing the resources to begin.
If you support this proposal, or if you have questions or concerns, I invite you to join me for a town hall meeting on “The Way Forward for Recreation” on Monday, November 14th at 6PM at the Ocilla Community House. While I believe this is a good direction for us to build and enhance our recreation programs for all, I want to give the public a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and hopefully, to get behind this movement for the betterment of our community. I look forward to seeing you there.