June 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 30

Who, What, Where & how Around the Parks

The range of services delivered has evolved from heavily subsidized social welfare services to one that demands a profitable
revenue generating mechanism. Many directors are looking for
guidance in setting these fee structures.
The National Recreation and Park Association, in conjunction
with North Carolina State University, conducted an online survey
designed to provide a national perspective on parks and recreation departments' fees and charges. The report was produced
by Michael Kanters Ph.D., Jason Bocarro Ph.D., Chris Siderelis
Ph.D., Christopher Vurnakes M.S., Nathan Halubka M.S., and Pete
Armstrong M.S. of the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Management, College of Natural Resources, NC State University.
U.S. Census Bureau statistical data were used to classify municipalities and counties by their geographical locations and
governing units, which resulted in an initial data file of 9,642 census units with populations greater than 2,500 residents. Three
thousand fifty-two NRPA member agencies were then matched
with their corresponding census regions and assigned to their
appropriate population stratum (i.e., geographic location, agency type, and population size) to facilitate the selection of a nationally representative sample.

Key Findings
■■ 216 agencies, or 43.2 percent of the 500 agencies invited to par-

ticipate in the study, completed the online survey.
■■ Although 5 percent of the responding agencies were located in
special districts (e.g., Illinois), there was an insufficient number
of agencies to produce any reliable summary statistics. Special
district agencies were, therefore, recoded as county government agencies.
■■ 63 percent of the responding agencies were parks and recreation departments for municipalities, 32 percent were departments in county or special district government, and 2 percent
were from some other form of government operation (i.e., a
combination of city and county districts)
■■ Median revenues and parks and recreation budgets were significantly higher in the Western region of the United States for
both county and municipal government operations. It also appears that municipalities in the Northeast generated revenues
that exceed the subsequent years projected budget for parks
and recreation. Similarly, counties in the Midwest had very little difference between previous years revenue and projected
budget. In contrast, for the South, revenues were much smaller
than projected budgets.
■■ Although the revenue from parks and recreation programs and
services was lower in county operations than municipal operations in Northeastern United States, the median county budget
for parks and recreation was nearly double that of municipalities.
■■ Municipal parks and recreation department budgets assumed
a larger percentage of the overall governing units than county departments. Revenues from municipal departments were

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www . N R P A . O R G

a higher percentage of the parks and recreation budget than
county departments.
■■ Municipal budgets for parks and recreation in the Northeast
and South assume a smaller percentage of government operating budget than in the Midwest and particularly the West.
Although county budgets for parks and recreation as a percentage of overall government budgets were fairly similar
across all census regions, their revenues as percentage of
parks and recreation operating budgets were much higher in
the Midwest and West regions. The Northeast municipalities
also had a much higher revenue as a proportion of parks and
recreation operating budget than other regions.
■■ Nationally, aquatics tends to generate the largest overall revenue
when compared to other common program areas (i.e., athletics,
after-school programs, community centers). Senior programs
and special events generated the lowest revenues.
■■ Adult and youth athletics generate much smaller amounts of
revenue in the Northeast and South. The Midwest and West regions generate much higher revenues in these five categories.
■■ After-school programs across all regions, particularly the West,
generate a significant amount of revenues for municipalities. The
Northeast and Midwest parks and recreation municipal departments generate much lower revenues than the South and West.
However, they generate more revenues through youth athletics
than the South and West.
■■ Cultural arts for county departments in the South generate substantially higher revenues than any other region in the country.
More revenue is generated in day campus, outdoor recreation,
and senior programs than counties in other regions.
■■ For municipalities, cultural arts in the Northeast and the South
generate substantially higher revenues. For municipalities in the
Midwest, revenues for each of the above categories are much
lower than other regions. Day camps in the Northeast and West
generate much smaller revenues than municipalities in the Midwest and South.
The full text of the 42-page " NRPA Parks and Recreation Fees
and Charges Survey Report: 2020 " is available only to NRPA
members, www.NRPA.org.

The Power of Trails for Promoting Physical Activities in
Communities
This research report is one of a series ( " Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity and Support Active Communities " ) produced by Active Living Research, a national program of the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation, with technical assistance provide by
San Diego State University.
Promoting physical activity among children and adults is a
priority national health objective in the United States. Regular physical activity lowers the risk of chronic diseases and is
an important strategy for reversing the obesity epidemic. A
growing body of evidence shows that the built environment

June 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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