(a) Establishment of Fund. There is hereby established the Park, Recreation and Open Space Fund ("Fund") to be administered by the Recreation and Park Department ("Department") as directed by the Recreation and Park Commission ("Commission"). Monies in the Fund shall be expended or used solely by the Department, subject to the budgetary and fiscal provisions of the Charter, to provide park and recreational services and facilities. The Department embraces socio-economic and geographic equity as a guiding principle and commits to expending the funds across its open space and recreational programs to provide park and recreational access to all of San Francisco's diverse neighborhoods and communities.
(b) Annual Set-aside. The City will continue to set aside from the annual tax levy, for a period of forty-five years starting with the fiscal year 2000-2001 and through and including fiscal year 2045-2046, an amount equivalent to an annual tax of two and one-half cents ($0.025) for each $100 assessed valuation. Beginning in fiscal year 2016-2017, revenues from the set-aside, together with interest, shall be deposited into the Park, Recreation and Open Space Fund. Revenues from the set-aside shall be in addition to the baseline appropriation required by subsection (c).
The Controller shall set aside and maintain such an amount, together with any interest earned thereon, in the Fund, and any amount unspent or uncommitted at the end of the fiscal year shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year and, subject to the budgetary and fiscal limitations of this Charter, shall be appropriated then or thereafter for the purposes specified in this Section 16.107.
(c) Baseline Maintenance of Effort. The annual set-aside shall be used exclusively to increase the aggregate City appropriations to and expenditures by the Recreation and Park Department for Department purposes. To this end, beginning in fiscal year 2016-2017 and thereafter through fiscal year 2045-2046, the City shall not reduce the baseline general fund support amount appropriated to the Department below the amount appropriated in fiscal year 2015-2016, as calculated by the Controller, except that the baseline amount shall be adjusted as follows:
(1) Each year in fiscal years 2016-2017 through 2025-2026, the City shall increase the baseline appropriation by $3 million over the prior year.
(2) Each year in fiscal years 2026-2027 through 2045-2046, the City shall adjust the baseline by the percentage increase or decrease in aggregate City discretionary revenues, as determined by the Controller, based on calculations consistent from year to year. In determining aggregate City discretionary revenues, the Controller shall only include revenues received by the City which are unrestricted and may be used at the option of the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors for any lawful City purpose. Additionally, in determining aggregate City discretionary revenues, the Controller shall not include revenues received by the City under the increased rates in Business and Tax Regulations Code Sections 953.1(g), 953.2(h), 953.3(h), 953.4(e), 953.5(d), 953.6(f), 953.7(d), and 953.8(i) adopted by the voters at the general municipal election on November 3, 2020, and shall not include revenues received by the City under Article 36 of the Business and Tax Regulations Code adopted by the voters at the general municipal election on November 3, 2020. The Controller is authorized to increase or reduce budgetary appropriations as required by this subsection (c) to align the baseline amount to the amount required by formula based on actual revenues received during the fiscal year.
(3) The City may suspend growth in the baseline funding pursuant to subsection (c)(1) in fiscal year 2016-2017 if the City's projected budget deficit for that year at the time of the Joint Report or Update to the Five Year Financial Plan as prepared jointly by the Controller, the Mayor's Budget Director, and the Board of Supervisors' Budget Analyst exceeds 200 million. For fiscal year 2017-2018 through fiscal year 2045-2046, the City may suspend growth in baseline funding pursuant to subsections (c)(1) and (c)(2) when the projected budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year at the time of the Joint Report or Update to the Five Year Financial Plan as prepared jointly by the Controller, the Mayor's Budget Director, and the Board of Supervisors' Budget Analyst exceeds $200 million adjusted annually by changes in aggregate City discretionary revenues.
(4) Monies from the baseline appropriation required by this subsection (c) shall not be appropriated or expended for services provided to the Recreation and Park Department by other City departments and agencies unless: (A) the City department or agency charged the Recreation and Park Department for that service in fiscal year 2015-2016 and the amount the Recreation and Park Department paid the City department or agency for that service was included in the baseline amount for fiscal year 2015-2016, although increases in the cost of such services may be paid out of the baseline appropriation, or (B) the Recreation and Park Department requests or agrees to a new service from a City department or agency.
(5) At the end of the fiscal year 2015-2016 and every year thereafter, any excess general fund Departmental revenue, including any Department expenditure savings or revenue surpluses deposited prior to fiscal year 2015-2016, shall be reserved to be used for one-time Departmental expenditures. "General fund Departmental revenue" is defined as all revenues credited to the Department's general fund budget other than the baseline contribution defined in subsection (c).
(d) The City shall implement its efforts to increase revenues in a manner consistent with the City's policy of charging City residents a lower fee than that charged nonresidents for the use and enjoyment of Department property.
(e) Revenue Bond Authority. Notwithstanding the limitations set forth in Sections 9.107, 9.108, and 9.109 of this Charter, the Commission may request, and upon recommendation of the Mayor the Board of Supervisors may authorize, the issuance of revenue bonds or other evidences of indebtedness, or the incurrence of other obligations, secured by the Park, Recreation and Open Space Fund for acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and/or improvement of real property and/or facilities and for the purchase of equipment.
(f) Fund Expenditures on Commission Property. Any real property acquired with monies from the Fund, including the proceeds of obligations issued pursuant to subsection (e), above, shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the Commission within the meaning of Section 4.113. Fund expenditures to improve, construct, reconstruct or rehabilitate real property shall be limited to property under the jurisdiction of the Commission or property under the jurisdiction of another City department or public agency and subject to an agreement with the Department for its use, management and maintenance.
(g) Use and Allocation of the Fund. Each year, the Commission shall adopt a budget for the allocation and expenditure of the Fund in compliance with the budget and fiscal provisions of the Charter. The annual budget for allocation of the Fund that is adopted by the Commission and submitted by the Mayor to the Board of Supervisors shall include:
(1) Allocations for after-school recreation programs, urban forestry, community gardens, volunteer programs, and a significant natural areas management program in the amounts allocated for each of those programs from the Park and Open Space Fund in the Department's fiscal year 2015-2016 budget, to the extent that such programs are not so funded in the Department's operating budget or in the budget of another City department.
(2) An allocation necessary to ensure that 3% of the monies to be deposited in the Fund during the upcoming fiscal year pursuant to subsection (b), above, be available at the start of the fiscal year as an undesignated contingency reserve. No later than September 1, 2017, the Commission shall adopt a policy for expenditures from the contingency reserve. Thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors on any expenditures from the contingency reserve during the previous budget cycle along with its proposed budget for allocation of the Fund.
(3) An allocation of not less than 5% of the monies to be deposited in the Fund during the upcoming fiscal year pursuant to subsection (b), above. These monies shall be dedicated to the acquisition of real property identified in the Capital Expenditure Plan discussed in subsection (h)(3), below. Any portion of these monies that remains unspent or uncommitted at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward, with interest thereon, to the next fiscal year for the purposes set forth herein.
(4) An allocation, as a separate line item, of funds required for preparation, monitoring, and evaluation of the plans required under subsection (h).
Prior to the adoption of the annual budget by the Recreation and Park Commission, the Department, in conjunction with the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee ("Advisory Committee") discussed in subsection (i), below, shall conduct two public hearings in the evenings or on weekends to permit the public to comment on the Department's full budget and programming allocations.
The Board of Supervisors shall consider and apply the Planning and Reporting Measures, including equity metrics, required in subsection (h) when reviewing and approving the Department's budget.
(h) Planning and Reporting Measures. The Commission shall adopt several long-term plans that include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Metrics. The Department shall develop, and the Commission shall adopt, a set of equity metrics to be used to establish a baseline of existing Recreation and Park services and resources in low-income neighborhoods and disadvantaged communities, compared to services and resources available in the City as a whole. Following Commission approval, the Department shall submit its Equity Metrics to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
(2) Strategic Plan. By February 1, 2017, and every five years thereafter, the Department shall prepare, for Commission consideration and approval, a five-year Strategic Plan that establishes or reaffirms the mission, vision, goals and objectives for the Department. The Strategic Plan shall include an equity analysis of Recreation and Park services and resources, using the equity metrics adopted under subsection (h)(1), and shall include strategies to mitigate any equity deficiencies identified in the Plan.
The Department shall submit the proposed Strategic Plan to the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee for its review and comment before submitting the Plan to the Commission for its approval. Following Commission approval of the Strategic Plan, the Department shall submit the Strategic Plan to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors shall consider and by resolution express its approval or disapproval of the Plan, but may not modify the Plan. If the Board expresses its disapproval of the Plan or makes recommendations regarding the Plan to the Department, the Department may modify and resubmit the Plan.
The Department will use the approved Strategic Plan to guide its work over each five-year period. Every two years after the approval of a Strategic Plan, the Department shall report to the Commission on the Department's progress under the Plan and, subject to the Commission's approval, may amend the Plan as appropriate. Following Commission approval of any amendments to the Strategic Plan, the Department may submit the amended Strategic Plan to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
(3) Capital Expenditure Plan. By January 15, 2017 and for each annual or biennial budgetary cycle thereafter, as determined under Charter Section 9.101, the Department shall prepare, for Commission consideration and approval, an annual Capital Expenditure Plan that addresses the development, renovation, replacement and maintenance of capital assets, and the acquisition of real property projected during the life of the Department's five-year Strategic Plan. The Capital Expenditure Plan shall include an equity analysis of Recreation and Park capital expenditures, using the equity metrics adopted under subsection (h)(1), and shall include strategies to mitigate any equity deficiencies identified in the Plan. The Capital Expenditure Plan shall further address irrigation, water conservation, and urban forestry on park lands.
The Department shall submit the proposed Capital Expenditure Plan to the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee for its review and comment before submitting the Plan to the Commission for its approval. Following Commission approval, the Department shall submit the Capital Expenditure Plan to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors shall consider and by resolution express its approval or disapproval of the Plan, but may not modify the Plan. If the Board expresses its disapproval of the Plan or makes recommendations regarding the Plan to the Department, the Department may modify and resubmit the Plan.
The Department shall further cooperate in the development of the City's Capital Expenditure Plan under Administrative Code Section 3.20, as amended, or any successor legislation.
(4) Operational Plan. By February 1, 2017, and for each annual or biennial budgetary cycle thereafter, as determined under Charter Section 9.101, the Department shall prepare, for Commission consideration and approval, an Operational Plan. The Department shall base the Operational Plan on the then-current Strategic Plan, and the Operational Plan shall be in addition to the Department's budget. The Department shall include in the Operational Plan a statement of the objectives and initiatives within the Strategic Plan that the Department plans to undertake and/or accomplish during the next budgetary period, including performance indicators and targets. The Operational Plan shall include an equity analysis of Recreation and Park services and resources, using the equity metrics adopted under subsection (h)(1). Each Operational Plan shall further include an assessment of the Department's progress on the previous Operational Plan.
The Department shall submit the proposed Operational Plan to the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee for its review and comment before submitting the Plan to the Commission for its approval. Following Commission approval, the Department shall submit the Operational Plan to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
The Commission shall establish a community input process, which shall include the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee discussed in section (i), below, through which citizens of the City and County of San Francisco will provide assistance to the Commission as it develops criteria and establishes the plans required by this subsection. Prior to the adoption of any Strategic Plan, the Department shall conduct at least five hearings in locations distributed geographically throughout the City to receive and to consider the public's comments upon the plan. The Commission shall ensure that at least two of these hearings are held in the evenings or on weekends for the public's convenience.
In the fourth year of each Strategic Plan under subsection (h)(2), the Controller's City Services Auditor shall conduct a performance audit of the Department to assess the Department's progress under the Strategic Plan and to inform the development of the Department's next Strategic Plan. The audit shall include an analysis of the Department's compliance with the planning and reporting measures in this subsection (h). The costs of the audit may be charged to the baseline established in subsection (c).
If the audit finds that the Department has not complied with the requirements in this subsection (h), the Board of Supervisors may place up to 5% of the baseline appropriation under subsection (c) for the next fiscal year on reserve, pending subsequent release of the reserve by Board action upon finding progress toward these requirements. The preceding sentence is not intended to modify the Board's authority under the fiscal and budgetary provisions of the Charter.
The Commission may modify any deadlines contained in this subsection (h) by resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of its members, and a resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors and approved by the Mayor.
(i) Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee. The Board of Supervisors shall establish, by ordinance, a Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee, such as the committee established in Park Code Section 13.01, as amended, or any successor legislation.
(j) Equity Fund. The City shall establish an Equity Fund to accept and expend private gifts, grants, and donations received by the Department and intended to support initiatives and programs addressing unmet program and capital needs identified in the equity analyses required under subsection (h).
(k) Environmental and Design Guidelines. The Department shall maintain written environmental and design guidelines for new facilities, parks, and open spaces and the renovation or rehabilitation of existing facilities, parks, and open spaces.
(l) Capital Projects. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.104 of this Charter, the Commission shall have the authority to prepare and approve the plans, specifications and estimates for all contracts and orders, and to award, execute and manage all contracts and orders, for capital projects on real property under its jurisdiction or management. Capital projects supported by the Fund, other than those projects identified by the Department as long-term projects, must be fully constructed within three years of the initial budget allocation for those projects. Long-term projects must be fully constructed within five years of the initial budget allocation. Any exceptions to this provision must be authorized by a two-thirds vote of the Commission.
(m) In addition to the requirements set forth by this Section 16.107, all expenditures from the Fund shall be subject to the budget and fiscal provisions of the Charter.
(n) This Section 16.107 shall expire by operation of law at the end of fiscal year 2045-2046 and the City Attorney shall cause it to be removed from future editions of the Charter unless the Section is extended by the voters.
(Amended March 2000, June 2016; Proposition F, Approved 11/3/2020)