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Boardman Park reports 'stable' finances ahead of 2015 budget, park director says
BOARDMAN
Starting off the new year, Boardman Park’s executive director says the park’s financial situation is “stable” and that not much will change for visitors this year.
The park commissioners voted to approve financial reports from 2014 at their meeting Monday, and executive director Daniel Slagle Jr. says the financial situation will be similar in 2015.
“We’re still working on the programming for this year. As far as major improvements, most likely there will not be much money available to make any major improvements or capital improvements,” Slagle said. “Financially we’ll be able to maintain the status quo and continue to operate. I don’t think people are going to notice much of a change in day-to-day operations.”
The park administration has put on hold capital projects as it deals with a combination of factors that have left the park with a strained budget over the last five or so years, Slagle previously said.
A decrease in state funding, a decrease in local government funding, a significant increase in annual visitor attendance to the park and subsequent increase in spending, and the fact that the park has been operating on the same two voted levies for the past 35 years are the primary factors in the budgetary constraints, Slagle says.
As of Dec. 31, 2014, the park had a general fund balance of about $430,000, according to 2014 financial reports, which Slagle said will be used to maintain operations into the new year until a 2015 budget is approved.
Financial reports also show that the park took in $206,427 more than it disbursed last year from the general fund. It took in a little more than $1.3 million in cash receipts, and disbursed close to $1.1 million from the general fund.
Disbursements from the general fund in 2014 included $552,239 for employee compensation, $186,769 for employee benefits, $23,248 for general property and liability insurance, $62,501 for repairs and maintenance, $50,091 for supplies and materials, $81,926 for utilities, $98,001 for programming, $16,728 for auditor fees and $23,088 in other expenses, for a total of $1,094,592 in general-fund disbursements.