11-941. County parks operation and enhancement fund; publication and souvenir revolving fund; investment; transfer

A. A county through its board of supervisors or through a duly authorized and established parks and recreation department pursuant to section 11-934 may establish a county parks operation and enhancement fund for the purpose of operating and enhancing facilities and services at existing county parks or acquiring real estate for additional county parks or expansion of existing county parks. The fund consists of monies budgeted for that purpose by the board of supervisors, grants, unconditional gifts and donations specifically designated for the fund, all monies derived from county park user fees, concession contract fees, excess fees generated from the county parks publication and souvenir revolving fund in subsection D of this section and other revenue generating activities.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 23-504, a county through its board of supervisors or through a duly authorized and established parks and recreation department pursuant to section 11-934 may establish a county parks publication and souvenir revolving fund consisting of monies received from the sale of county parks oriented services, souvenirs, sundry items or informational publications that are uniquely prepared for use in county parks by the public. Notwithstanding section 11-492, the monies in the fund shall be used exclusively to produce, purchase and distribute county parks publications and information and operate concessions selling publications, souvenirs, services and sundry items and provide services for sale by the county or the county parks and recreation department. A county may sell at retail, on at least a cost recovery basis, only those publications, souvenirs, sundry items and services that are not provided at the county park with equivalent convenience to the public by private concessionaires or by concessionaires having a contract with the county at a county park to provide those publications, souvenirs, sundry items or services. If, after the county begins selling publications, souvenirs, sundry items and services not provided at the park by a private concessionaire, a qualified private concessionaire wishes to provide such publications, souvenirs, sundry items and services in a manner that is consistent with the county's development plan for the park, the county shall request competitive proposals from private concessionaires to provide all or a portion of publications, souvenirs, sundry items and services instead of the county at the option of the bidder. Existing concession facilities shall be made available as part of the concession contract.

C. The monies in the county parks enhancement fund and the county parks publication and souvenir revolving fund shall be invested pursuant to title 35, chapter 2, article 2.1, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to each fund separately.

D. At the end of each fiscal year all monies in the county parks publication and souvenir revolving fund in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars shall be transferred to the county parks enhancement fund and held for the specific use of the operation and enhancement of county parks pursuant to subsection A of this section.