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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,August 22,2011 Page 26 the Council will make every effort to involve the community in the decision- making process where major community interests are concerned and where state and local statutes permit. It has been the practice of the Council, and will continue to be, to appoint com- missions,task forces, and other work groups from the community to explore and present ideas and alternatives with regard to issues, which are of importance to the community. In addition, any expenditure of funds in excess of$3 million of local property tax dollars and which involves community facilities, will be brought to the communi- ty in the form of a referendum. As a resident, and now as a City Councilmember, she expressed her belief that the City's parks and facilities should be maintained; she finds it disappointing that past City Council budgets have not maintained the parks systems as re- quested and strongly suggested in the Parks Improvement Program included in the same Fiscal Policies document already quoted. However, Councilmember McGehee disagreed on how maintenance was defined and what was actually reflected in the park survey; She had heard from both the Parks and Recreation Department staff and the Commission on theirhard work throughout this process, and their need now for a big success. While that could al- so be a big commitment to moving forward, Councilmember McGehee opined that it was a commitment on the part of the City's government to provide funds on an ongoing basis for that maintenance. Councilmember McGehee suggested that from now until 2018, at which time the City would be out from under its existing debt service obligations and able to provide more funds for projects moving for- ward, that the Council provide $500,000 annually to the Parks Improvement Pro- Kam (PIP). Councilmember McGehee opined that she found it disappointing to have a discussion on land acquisition when it wasn't taking care of what it had; and further opined that only 3-6% of survey respondents supported warming houses. Councilmember McGehee opined that parks are part of the fabric of our community; but on the other hand, it didn't mean that an exorbitant amount of money through a bond was necessary for land acquisition and the creation of new buildings in six parks when the City would be paying interest on those funds for 5-8 years before a structure was built. Related to existing buildings, Councilmember McGehee questioned how prudent it was to replace existing buildings that were unattractive or unusable as they were; and suggested that a shelter be built instead at a reduced cost, without bath- rooms and other amenities, but still usable as a neighborhood gathering place. Such a structure would be useable for seasonal gatherings and summer programs while not requiring the more extensive staffing and maintenance of a bigger and better facility.