By Debbie Rogers
PERRYSBURG — It may be just halfway through 2023, but Wood County Park District officials are already planning how to spend money in 2024.
At Tuesday’s meeting, which was held at W.W. Knight Nature Preserve, Director Chris Smalley submitted the statutory budget draft for next year to the board.
“Please take the next couple weeks to look through it, take your pens to it, let me know any questions, thoughts you might have,” Smalley said.
He met with department heads and staff to get their input and requests, balancing what they expect for the incoming budget.
After the July meeting, it will be submitted to the Wood County Budget Commission for review, Smalley said.
After the meeting, Smalley said that the 2023 budget was $4.4 million. There is $3.2 million from a 1-mill levy in income; the rest is from program fees and other things, he said.
Smalley said he relies on staff to tell him things that aren’t easily noticed and need to be improved.
Examples are the wearing stain on the W.W. Knight building and the overgrown path at the Slippery Elm Trail.
The main capital expense for the park district this year is the Reuthinger Preserve building expansion, which has $247,000 earmarked for it and is well under way, Smalley said.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a resolution allowing Smalley to buy a replacement vehicle.
He said they are trying to replace a repurposed patrol Dodge Durango, which has over 200,000 miles on it.
“It is showing plenty of well use. We’re looking to replace it,” he said.
Because of the “volatile market,” Smalley was seeking the board’s permission to spend up to $38,000 whenever a vehicle becomes available.
“That way, if something comes available we can pounce on it,” he said.
He is hoping to get a mini-van in white, which matches the color of the park district’s fleet.
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Heard member Sandy Wiechman said that she enjoyed presenting the local park grants to various communities.
“They are excited about those,” she said. “It was very rewarding.”
The park district annually awards $100,000 to Wood County communities.
• Heard from Candace Weis, president of Friends of the Parks, that the group sold over 3,000 plants in six hours at the annual plant sale.
• Went into executive session for real estate acquisition. No action was taken.
