City Commission Approves Turf Maintenance Fund & $75,000 Contribution

Jennifer Lamer -

At Monday's City Commission Meeting, Commissioners considered Ordinance No. 23-11148 establishing Turf Maintenance and Replacement Fund and authorizing staff to make a $75,000 contribution to the fund in 2023.

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BACKGROUND:

On August 3, 2020, the City of Salina entered into an agreement with the "Salina Athletic Partners", including Salina Baseball Enterprises, Inc., Unified School District No. 305 and Kansas Wesleyan University relating to Dean Evans Stadium.

In accordance with Section 4.5.3 of the above mentioned agreement, the City agreed to establish a dedicated Turf Maintenance and Replacement Fund (the "Fund") for use in accumulating funds solely for use in maintaining, repairing and replacing the turfed surfaces at the Deans Evans Stadium at the ultimate discretion of the City with the benefit of recommendations by the BFRA advisory board.

The agreement (Sect. 4.5.3) further stated that the fund would be initially funded with proceeds from:

a. An initial contribution by the City of $50,000 which shall be deposited no later than December 31, 2021;

b. A contribution from Salina Athletic Partners of $50,000, which shall be made not later than December31,2021;and

c. A targeted annual contribution of $50,000 by the City commencing on or before December 31, 2022 and each year thereafter, to be funded with (i) user fees and private donations and (ii) City funds in an amount matching the user fees and donations and not exceeding $25,000 per year.

The City's contributions to the Fund shall be subject to the non-appropriation provisions of Section 12.2. If the City fails to appropriate the funds necessary to make its initial $50,000 contribution described above, Salina Athletic Partners shall be relieved of its initial $50,000 contribution.

In 2021, the City did not appropriate the initial $50,000 contribution; therefore, Salina Athletic Partners was relieved of its contribution.

In 2022, a contribution of $25,000 was received from the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce that will be put in the replacement fund. This contribution triggered a matching $25;ooo contribution by the City.

FISCAL NOTE

$75,000 will be transferred from the General Fund or Sales Tax Capital Fund reserve balance into the Fund in order to meet the City's 2021 and 2022 obligation. The obligation for 2023 will be determined at the end of 2023.

The motion to approve the turf maintenance fund and $75,000 contribution was approved 5-0.