5 Takeaways From Maddox's Proposal For Northport's PARA Funding

NORTHPORT, AL — The protracted debate over shared funding of Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority (PARA) saw its latest development Thursday as Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and his team made the trip across the bridge to provide a presentation to the Northport City Council concerning a potential funding model for the metro parks system.

Maddox's presentation, in terms of numbers and talking points, was the same one presented to the Tuscaloosa City Council earlier this month, as Patch previously reported. Here's a look at some of the biggest takeaways from Maddox's dialogue with leadership in Northport.

For a more detailed look at the proposed funding model from Northport, click here for our previous coverage.

Fast Facts

• Proposal would also include the City of Tuscaloosa directly funding the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and Ol' Colony Golf Course.
• The City of Northport has increased its funding of PARA by 17% since 2005, compared to a 49% increase by the City of Tuscaloosa and a 227% increase from Tuscaloosa County.
• At present, the City of Northport is set to contribute $156,250 to PARA in FY2021, coming out to roughly 2% of PARA's current funding.
• From February 2020 through March 2021, officials report that activity center attendance was down nearly 50% for PARA facilities both in the City of Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County.

5 Takeaways

1. Unsustainable at present: As Maddox has mentioned for months, the current funding model for PARA is in dire need of an overhaul, as PARA facilities in the City of Tuscaloosa are facing a net loss over the past year just north of $1 million, while Tuscaloosa County's PARA locations broke even by roughly $16,000. This has been largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with factors relating to declining membership that preceded the crisis. Maddox said the proposed funding model is an "equitable starting place to create a truly metro-funded parks and rec authority that offers greater accountability for each funding partner, more funding for PARA, and greater customer service for our community members."

2. Cold Council: Looks of apprehension were visible on the faces of Northport Council members, which could already signal the path city leaders are likely to take. Apart from Maddox's proposal for PARA, the City of Northport has been actively engaged in studying the feasibility for its own aquatic center and sports complex, which would be funded with a large portion of the city's recently passed 1 cent sales tax. Council President Jeff Hogg took the lead in questioning the proposal, asking if now is the right time to increase funding after sweeping budget cuts for City of Tuscaloosa departments during the pandemic. Maddox responded by saying the pandemic is beginning to see its sunset and the city's sales tax revenue has seen strong improvement ahead of an expected influx of federal aid dollars. Hogg also made the assertion that with only two PARA facilities in the Northport city limits — Kentuck Park and the Northport Community Center — the city is already overpaying its share to PARA by roughly 33%. This is compared to more than 30 parks within the Tuscaloosa city limits.

Quotetable: "Under the American Rescue Plan we now have opportunities to be made whole under our revenue losses, so I don't think there will be a better time. None of us likely in our careers will ever see this amount of federal assistance that we see from the federal government today, so I think now is probably the best time if we're going to make this decision happen." - Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox.

3. Proactive approach: Along with Thursday's scheduled meeting, the City of Tuscaloosa tells Patch it has also reached out to PARA and has a meeting scheduled with the Tuscaloosa County Commission on June 16 to discuss the proposed funding model. Under the plan, Tuscaloosa County would actually see its appropriation for PARA scaled down by $383,360. The mayor has also been quick to point out that the proposal is a starting point and not a "final offer," geared to hopefully prompt other funding partners to come back with their own ideas on how to properly fund the metro parks system. Maddox said the goal of his presentation on Thursday was to start the dialogue and Northport city leaders expressed their respect for his willingness to come to the table. Tuscaloosa County is also likely to be an easier sell for the mayor's proposal, as the county stands to see its share of PARA funding drastically decrease.

4. Need for transparency: Maddox was asked twice during Thursday's presentation about hard numbers relating to PARA memberships, which were not readily available for PARA facilities in Northport, but were provided for locations in the City of Tuscaloosa and in the county. District 1 Councilwoman Christy Bobo doubled down on the request as the meeting came to a close, in the hopes of having a more firm understanding of trends at the city's two PARA facilities. This has been a consistent theme in discussions regarding PARA over the last year, with Maddox proposing the creation of a Parks & Recreation Council Committee in Tuscaloosa, along with the formation of an executive committee made up of funding partners to add another level of oversight to PARA's operations.

5. Alternatives: Several scenarios were discussed between the Tuscaloosa mayor and Northport Council, including the City of Tuscaloosa allowing Northport to annex in Sokol Park, which would also include the new Tuscaloosa All-Inclusive Playground Project (TAPP), along with possibly bringing the Faucett Brothers Activity Center into the city limits from Tuscaloosa County. Maddox was also direct with the Northport Council in asking the elected officials to consider the city's future with PARA, especially if Northport has its own plans for its city parks.

Quotable: "What you do will really dictate what we will have to do as well, and if you don’t, I'm not here to argue that … that should be your decision. We just need to know, because if you’re not, that’s going to influence what we’re going to do." - Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox

Patch Analysis & Commentary

Both sides have valid points when it comes to a new funding model for PARA. While Northport may only have two PARA facilities in its city limits, its residents also enjoy different offerings across the metro, such as the Tuscaloosa River Market, Bowers Park and others. This conversation is no different from discussions over Northport's contributions to the Tuscaloosa Public Library, which is also heavily utilized by Northport residents. To Council President Jeff Hogg's point, though, the City of Northport does have far less skin in the game when it comes to its share of PARA facilities, so the apprehension to allocate more funding for its current operations is understandable. In its present form, I don't have high hopes for much buy-in on this proposed funding model as far as the City of Northport is concerned and it is clear the city has its own future plans for parks and recreation, which makes it that much more unlikely that it will see support from Northport City Hall. But it's important to note that Mayor Maddox took a big first step in sparking the conversation and working toward a new, more sustainable model for our metro parks and recreation system.

- Ryan Phillips

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