STOCKTON — The San Joaquin County civil grand jury released two reports Thursday, shining spotlights on the county’s parks and recreation budget and on Micke Grove Zoo.
The grand jury report on parks faults the Parks and Recreation Division and the Board of Supervisors for relying on the use of trust funds to balance the parks budget.
According to the grand jury, Parks and Recreation and the supervisors have known for nearly a decade that borrowing from the Parks Trust Fund would eventually lead to its depletion.
“Ten years of borrowing has resulted in the Parks Trust Funds being depleted to the point where they can no longer provide the level of support needed to maintain the parks system,” the grand jury concluded.
It recommends that supervisors and the Parks and Recreation Division “develop and implement a plan for managing the parks system within a structurally balanced and sustainable budget.”
The report continues, “Only then can these trust funds be replenished and begin again to provide support for the growth and improvement of the County park system.”
The civil grand jury reports that in the past decade, the parks budget has been reduced by 16 percent while the county budget has grown by 39 percent.
The county is in the midst of adopting a $1.8 million budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which begins July 1. According to documents, parks and recreation spending in the proposed budget is $6.4 million, or four-tenths of one percent of the entire budget.
As for Micke Grove Zoo, the grand jury says it has suffered from “inadequate funding and outdated facilities” for years.
“Loss of accreditation, a failed Master Plan, and multiple departmental reorganizations have further compounded the challenges for this county-owned facility,” the report says.
The grand jury said it investigated the zoo after receiving complaints alleging low staffing and funding.
Among its recommendations are that the zoo seek “affordable accreditation,” that it renegotiate its operating agreement with the Micke Grove Zoological Society, and that it pursue funding sources to improve the zoo.
“These recommendations will not only help to improve Micke Grove Zoo today, but establish a vision and blueprint for the Zoo in years to come,” the report says.
June 13, 2019
Stockton Record
By Roger Phillips
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