Like most government agencies, every year the Park District goes through a budgeting process to decide which projects will be funded. A budget process considers two major cost categories: 1) capital, or construction, costs and 2) operations and maintenance costs. Because there are more construction projects each year than the Park District can afford to build, we consider how well each project supports our long-term goals, how much it will cost, and how much it will take to maintain over time to make sure we’re building toward the future we want to see.

Another component of budgeting is taking care of everything that is already built and providing excellent experiences throughout the parks – the operations and maintenance budget. This includes both regular and daily maintenance, as well as staff that maintains parks, ensures public safety, and interfaces with visitors. While construction costs are one-time costs, operations and maintenance costs are ongoing.

Give it a try! Think about the next 10 years for the Park District and our East Bay communities and select the types of projects you think should be funded. You have $2,000 to spend, and each project costs $11 to $318. Costs shown are scaled to reflect real-life cost, on average. Some considerations as you make your choices:

• Each project cost represents two components:
  • 1) Construction costs, also known as capital costs, and
  • 2) Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs for ten years
• Regular maintenance of existing infrastructure is largely covered by the Park District’s current annual operating budget and adds relatively little to the operations and maintenance costs.
• Remember your goals and priorities from previous questions.
• Review all project types before building your budget.
• You can select more than one project for each spending type.