Save parks and rec program

By Jeffrey A Poole

Published: March 27, 2008

To the editor,
I attended the budget hearing meeting on March 13 and was shocked at the charge the board of supervisors gave to the director of the Department of Parks and Recreation (Rec Dept.).
Last week’s article in the Orange County Review makes it seem like the board is not cutting the Rec Dept.; however, they effectively are.
If the Rec Dept. has to pass 85 percent of the total cost of the Rec Dept. budget to the parents and citizens of Orange County, it cannot function.
The board voted to fund 15 percent of the Rec Dept. budget, including salaries for employees and administration; therefore, the Rec Dept., in order to accomplish their mission, will have to raise all entry fees for children’s sports, senior citizen programs and handicap programs by five to six times.  In other words, parents who paid $55 for their children to play basketball this year…next year will have to pay more than $300.
I believe the board of supervisors should be able to come up with a compromise that would benefit the citizens of Orange County and their Rec Dept.
The Rec Dept. serves as a vital part of our community.  The board of supervisors cannot ignore our children, young families, senior citizens and others who participate in the programs sponsored by the Rec Dept. to close because no one will be able to participate.
I would like to reiterate the sentiments of Robert Cooke in a letter to the editor last week.  Our supervisors are not elected to make sure we have the lowest tax rate in the surrounding counties.  What good does it do to have the lowest tax rate and not be able to meet the needs of all the citizens of Orange County, not just some of the special interest groups.
Our children, our young families and our senior citizens are the people of Orange County.  Please call your supervisor and ask him or her to reconsider the cuts suggested and attend the public hearing on April 8 so that your voice can be heard.
Ann H. Riordan
Orange