HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0106) M&C 20-0175City of Fort Worth, Texas
Mayor and Council Communication
DATE: 06/02/20 M&C FILE NUMBER: M&C 20-0175
LOG NAME: 20TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND OPEN SPACE PLANNING
SUBJECT
Authorize a Distribution in the Amount of $335,000.00 in Income from the City's Mineral Trust Fund, Authorize the Execution of a Contract with The
Trust for Public Land in the Amount of $335,000.00 for the Fort Worth Open Space Prioritization Plan, Update FY 2020-2024 Capital Improvement
Plan, and Adopt Appropriation Ordinances (ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS)
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Authorize a distribution in the amount of $335,000.00 in income from the City's Mineral Trust Fund, the Fort Worth Permanent Fund,
commensurate with the terms of the amended trust document, distributed from the General Endowment Gas Lease Fund;
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute a contract in the amount of $335,000.00 with The Trust for Public Land for the Fort Worth Open Space
Prioritization Plan (City Project No. 102546);
3. Adopt the attached appropriation ordinance increasing appropriations in the General Gas Lease Endowment Fund in the amount of
$335,000.00; and
4. Adopt the attached appropriation ordinance increasing receipts and appropriations in the Fort Worth Open Space Prioritization Plan in the
General Gas Lease Capital Project Fund in the amount of $335,000.00 transferred from the General Endowment Gas Lease Fund (City Project
No. 102546).
DISCUSSION:
Open space or greenspace planning is a process used to preserve important areas of undeveloped land in a natural condition. As the City of Fort
Worth experiences growth, it is important to conserve priority undeveloped land areas as open space to support the community's strategic goals
and meet multiple public policy objectives. Open space preservation can provide a wide range of benefits, including: health; recreation; flood
control; water quality in lakes, streams, and the Trinity River; community access; equity; preservation of iconic places; economic development; and
ecosystem preservation.
In August, 2019, the City Manager established the cross -departmental city Open Space Stakeholder Group to evaluate options for long-range
open space planning and prioritization to preserve select open space. City staff included partners from North Central Texas Council of
Governments, Streams & Valleys, Inc., and the Tarrant Regional Water District, and outlined stakeholder goals: (1) to identify the selection criteria
for open space planning; (2) to develop open space program objectives; (3) to consider qualifications of The Trust for Public Land (TPL) as an
open space planning consultant, and (4) to recommend a consultant and program framework to the City Manager and City Council. After
considering stakeholder goals and providing an Open Space Program presentation to City Council on December 3, 2019, the Stakeholder Group
has recommended TPL for the development of the Open Space Prioritization Plan, which includes development of a web -based decision support
tool and a public -facing interactive website.
The proposed contract will utilize the expertise of TPL to provide an analysis of all existing, public open space and undeveloped land to evaluate
areas that may be considered for acquisition to support open space preservation. The web -based decision support tool will assist the City with
long-range planning and evaluation of open space parcels for potential voluntary acquisition. Open space selection criteria will be evaluated using
Geographic Information System data analysis.
The core contract is anticipated to be complete 12 months from execution. TPL will then perform two years of maintenance support and one
update of the tool. After the first update in Year 2 of the contract, TPL will begin to transition the tool to the City's IT Solutions Department to support
the City's internal data update. At the end of Year 3 of the contract, the transfer and data support will be complete and IT Solutions will be
responsible for the maintenance and future update of the tool.
TPL will provide professional and planning services, which are exempt from competitive bidding procedures pursuant to Texas Local Government
Code 252.022(a)(14). The procurement is in compliance with the City's M/WBE Ordinance, and there is no M/WBE requirement on this contract.
This work will affect ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
Funding for this project was not included in the 2020-2024 Capital Improvement Plan because the open space prioritization planning had not
begun at the time the citywide CIP was developed. The actions in this M&C will update the 2020-2024 Capital Improvement Plan.
FISCAL INFORMATION / CERTIFICATION:
The Director of Finance certifies that upon approval of the above recommendations, funds will be available in the capital budgets, as appropriated,
of the General Endowment Gas Lease Fund and General Gas Lease Capital Project (General Gas Lease Capital Prj) Fund Open Space
Prioritization Plan project. Prior to any expenditure being incurred, the Transportation & Public Works Department has the responsibility to
validate the availability of funds.
Submitted for City Manager's Office by: Dana Burghdoff 8018
Originating Business Unit Head: William Johnson 7801
Additional Information Contact: Jennifer Dyke 2714