November 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 18

FINANCE FOR THE FIELD
FINANCE FOR THE FIELD
Who Is Responsible for Selecting the
Interpretation of Equity That a Park and
Recreation Department Adopts?
By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.
T
he " textbook " model of local government suggests the fair (equitable)
way to allocate park and recreation services is: (1) to embrace
the interpretation articulated by a majority of residents; who (2)
influence their elected representatives; who (3) direct administrators
to make decision-rules that implement policy; that (4) agency personnel
follow in order to carry out policy. The diagram below illustrates this premise.
This process is not followed in
many communities in the context
of equity, where the reality is that
inertia prevails. Historical and cultural
routines are challenged and
perceived to be unfair only when a
group of residents believe it is their
" ox that is being gored. "
In the past, residents' input in
deciding how equity should be
interpreted has not been solicited
because the need to explicitly address
the different interpretations
of equity, the nuances of its interpretations,
and a lack of consciousness
of its pervasive influence in
service delivery decisions have not
been recognized by park and recreCouncil
City
Manager
Department Heads
Operations Managers
Face-to-Face Services Staff
Community
18 Parks & Recreation | NOVEMBER 2 0 2 1
ation directors and managers as a
relevant concern. However, this is
changing with the advent of social
media, increases in the numbers of
activist groups, and a reaffirmation
that the essence of marketing is a
commitment that park and recreation
services be resident driven.
Responsible Parties
The prevailing patterns of park and
recreation services will be the result
of actions from three sets of actors:
elected officials, park and recreation
administrators and front-line staff.
Elected Officials - The policy role
of elected officials is primarily enacted
through their budgetary decisions.
Equity is strongly influenced by the
amount of funding allocated to specific
services. It is likely to impact the
types and locations of services or facilities
offered, and their capacity, scope
and range. Their impact on equity is
likely to be particularly dominant in
decisions relating to large capitalintensive
projects.
Administrators - Typically, elected
officials define generic needs in a
community and then ask staff to allocate
services to meet those needs.
This cedes considerable discretion
to the city manager and park and
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
recreation administrators. The discretion
may reflect residents' recognition
that park and recreation managers
are committed public servants
striving to achieve the public good
who possess the professional competence
to do it well.
The discretion is exercised through
the decision rules they formulate in
response to, or in the absence of,
policy directives provided primarily
through the budget.
Front-Line Staff - Many decision
rules are viewed by managers
as guidelines, recognizing that they
must be written to embrace a wide
range of contingencies. This means
that front-line staff who interact directly
with participants may be the
policymakers in their respective work
areas because they have discretion in
interpreting the decision rules.
A consensus on the interpretation
of equity among these three groups
and on the decision rules and procedures
used to operationalize the
agreed interpretation is essential.
Without it, the allocation pattern of
resources is unlikely to be coherent.
However, achieving the required degree
of commitment to a given policy
is a difficult task. Equity reflects
values, which are deeply felt. These
are residual in the sense that staff
bring them to the job. The only way
to establish congruency among the
various actors in a city's delivery system
is to hire people whose values are
consonant with, or at least tolerant
of, the majority of residents and city
November 2021 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2021 - Parks & Recreation
