HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9533 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9533
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 8, 2013
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SUBJECT: MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL REVIEW OF LOG CABIN
rF VILLAGE
The purpose of this Informal Report is to inform the City Council of the findings and
recommendations adopted by the Parks and Community Services Advisory Board regarding the
future management of the Log Cabin Village. The Board's review was in response to the
recommendations made by the 2011 City Manager's Citizens Review Committee for the Library
and Parks and Community Services Department. The Committee was charged with finding ways
of improving the efficiency and delivery of Parks and Library services.
The Committee adopted its final recommendations on May 19, 2011 and the final report was
forwarded to City Manager on May 25, 2011. One of the twenty four (24) recommendations made
by the Committee related to the management and operation of cultural, historic and educational
venues operated by the City including the service delivery structure. Specifically the Committee
recommended that the City Manager consider risks and benefits of shifting management of the
Botanic Garden, Nature Center & Refuge, Log Cabin Village and the Cowboy Santas program
from the City to their respective non-profit support groups. The recommended management
review should include the following elements:
1. Review the current role of all support groups.
2. Study any possible changes that would enhance the operation for the benefit of the public.
3. In conducting the Review/Study for each facility the following criteria should be considered:
a. Evaluate the financial benefit potential including increased revenue from fundraising,
private foundations, corporations, trusts, memberships and fees for programs, special
events, rentals, admissions and parking while maintaining accessibility across diverse
social and economic levels.
b. If the City decides to engage in any contracts, ensure that development of the facilities is
consistent with a publicly adopted master plan.
c. Conduct appropriate market studies to understand origin of patrons and willingness to pay
for services.
4. Forward the document submitted to the Committee from the Log Cabin Heritage
Foundation, Inc. to the Parks and Community Services Advisory Board for their review.
Performance Measurement
A general assessment of the operational and financial performance of the Log Cabin Village
(LCV) concluded that the LCV is efficiently operated under its current City of Fort Worth
management structure as measured by benchmarking the LCV with museums nationwide, paying
particular attention to similar facilities. The comparable performance measures reviewed include
the following:
• The LCV's operating budget ($429,215 in FY2011) is well below the median for all
museums ($1,116,139), and slightly below the median for municipal and county museums
($484,358)
• Cost per user (excluding offsetting revenue) falls in the 25t" percentile ($16.46 in FY2011)
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9533
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 8, 2013
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SUBJECT: MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL REVIEW OF LOG CABIN
rF VILLAGE
• The LCV enjoys higher than average total visitation and school group visits (26,081 in
FY2011)
• The staffing level of the LCV is on par with similar historical museum facilities
• As a measure of the effectiveness of the curatorship of facilities and artifacts, the quality
of programs and the level of management performance and effectiveness, the LCV has
achieved industry recognition for both its preservation oversight and visitor experience
Non Profit Agency Support
As communicated in a May 17, 2011 letter to the Review Committee the Log Cabin Heritage
Foundation affirmed that the Foundation has no interest in assuming management of Log Cabin
Village. The Foundation highlighted the importance of the administrative infrastructure and
support services that currently exist under the City's umbrella, which subsidize indirect
administrative costs of the museum's operations. The Foundation views the indirect support as a
critical element of ongoing operational success of the Log Cabin Village. Moreover, even if the
City guaranteed the current Log Cabin Village budget allocation to the Log Cabin Heritage
Foundation in perpetuity, the current Village operations would have to be drastically reduced in
order to absorb the greater cost of operating without the City's administrative and operational
support.
Secondly, the Foundation highlighted concerns about the current climate for museums and non-
profits observing traditional challenges of sustainability for museums, the current economic crisis
and the domino effect on quality of life programs in general and museums specifically.
The Foundation concluded that either individually or combined, the two factors above are not
conducive to better success or efficiencies in an alternate management structure.
A report regarding the Log Cabin Village's management and operational review, which included
benchmark comparisons and programs performance data was presented to the Parks and
Community Services Advisory Board as an Information Item on November 16, 2011. On December
14, 2011 the Parks and Community Services Advisory Board adopted a motion recommending that
Log Cabin Village remain under the management of the City.
Should you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Richard Zavala, Parks and
Community Services Department Director or Susan Alanis, Assistant City Manager.
Tom Higgins
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS