UPDATE: After significant public opposition, the City has withdrawn the “Water Contingency” portion of the Parks Budget. Thanks to everyone who showed up and weighed in.
The 2015 Parks budget includes $525,000 of TOPS for “Water Contingency”.
Why is the Trails and Open Space Coalition opposed to this? There are several reasons:

• TOPS (one penny sales tax on every 10 dollars spent) was overwhelmingly supported by the community to create open spaces like Stratton, Red Rock and the new addition to Ute Valley Park. It also builds trails like the Pikes Peak Greenway, Midland and Rock Island. And it builds parks like America the Beautiful, the skate park at Memorial Park and perhaps one day – Venezia park in the northern part of the city.
• When TOPS was amended by the voters in 2013, it allowed the parks portion to be used for maintenance and renovation. As a result, in 2014 tennis courts at Memorial Park were re-surfaced, 7 new playgrounds were added. Great projects. Both the Mayor and City Council promised the proposed change to the parks category would NOT be used to purchase water – but address key parks maintenance/renovation issues. The voters trusted our elected officials and voted to give parks staff flexibility.
• TOSC would support using TOPS to continue to improve parks irrigation systems and replacing blue-grass with native turf to reduce the cost of water. But using TOPS to pay the water bill is a violation of trust. Water for parks needs to come from the General Fund as it has in the past.
  That’s why the TOSC Board of Directors unanimously opposes using TOPS for contingency water in the 2015 budget.

If you have questions about our position, call us at 633-6884.

TRAILS AND OPEN SPACE COALITION RESOLUTION

A RESOLUTION URGING THE COLORADO SPRINGS PARKS BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL TO MODIFY THE 2015 PARKS CIP BUDGET TO ELIMINATE THE POSSIBLE USE OF TOPS PARKS FUNDS TO PAY FOR PARKS WATER

WHEREAS,     A water contingency line item of $525,000 is part of the TOPS Parks projects Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Preliminary Budget, May 7, 2014, and

WHEREAS,     The City Council is on record saying that TOPS funds shall not be used for paying for water, and
WHEREAS,     The Mayor and City Council committed that they would not repurpose TOPS funds if the 2012 ballot issue adding flexibility in the TOPS parks category funds was passed by the voters, and
WHEREAS,     The 2012 ballot issue was passed by the voters, and
WHEREAS,     The funds should be used to address parks renovation and restoration needs rather than for paying the water bill, and
WHEREAS,     The funds could be used to improve the parks watering infrastructure and for other measures to reduce water consumption, and
WHEREAS,     Water is not a Capital Improvement, and
WHEREAS,     The water contingency funds should come from other sources in the City budget such as the general fund and/or the Conservation Trust Fund.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE TRAILS AND OPEN SPACE COALITION THAT:
SECTION 1:    The TOSC Board of Directors is opposed to COS Parks using TOPS to pay for parks water.
SECTION 2:    Urges the Parks Department to revise the May 7, 2014 preliminary TOPS Capital Improvements Budget to eliminate the $525,000 TOPS water contingency line item or identify other funding sources as these TOPS funds were earmarked by the voters for other purposes such as parks renovation and restoration.