Logo courtesy of Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District

FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - At the June 17 meeting, the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District (FORPD) Board of Directors recognized outgoing Director John O’Farrell, who was resigning from the board after serving more than 20 years. 

District Administrator Mike Aho thanked O’Farrell for his years of service to the district and the Fair Oaks community. 

O’Farrell said the current board, with Aho as administrator, “is the best board, in my judgement, to ever serve Fair Oaks.” He said he’s proud of how they’ve worked together and of everything they’ve accomplished. 

The board is seeking applicants to fill the vacated seat through a short-term broad appointment until the November election. Applications will be accepted until July 17. For details, contact Administrative Services Manager Jennifer Larkin at [email protected] or 916-966-1036.

It was also Aho’s last meeting, as he planned his retirement for this summer. So, the board welcomed a new district administrator, Aaron Robertson. Chair Raymond James Irwin said they were excited to have him there, and the board voted 3-0 to approve Robertson’s contract, with Directors Ralph Carhart and Darren Mounts absent. 

Next, Aho recommended that Arts and Entertainment Manager Jennifer Schuler step in as the district administrator’s designee to serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fair Oaks Recreation and Arts Foundation (FORAF). The foundation was recently shifted to an independent fundraising entity with two board members retaining seats on the foundation board. 

Aho said assigning a designee will give Robertson time to focus on district operations as he settles into his new role as district administrator. And since the foundation board is so new, Aho suggested Schuler as CEO since she’s already familiar with the foundation and its operations. 

Director Irwin said he’d support the recommendation, but he would like Robertson to eventually take over as CEO. The recommendation was approved 3-0. 

The board also reviewed the proposed preliminary budget for fiscal year 2026-27, with the final budget to be authorized in August. 

Aho explained that this budget has been challenging, as the district is experiencing a structural budget gap, in which recurring operating costs are increasing faster than recurring revenues. 

Revenue such as property taxes and assessments have only modest growth, while expenditures on salaries, healthcare, utilities and fuel costs continue to rise at a much faster pace. In particular, healthcare costs have increased 58% over the last 10 years, averaging 5.8% each year. 

Staff positions were also expanded in some departments to meet service needs at the newly expanded Village facilities. While revenues from these expanded programs should eventually cover the operational costs, it will take time for those costs to stabilize. 

The proposed preliminary operating budget for fiscal year 2026-27 totals $4.2 million for both revenues and expenditures. The district’s reserve fund is $516,000, with carry-forward fund at $1.4 million. The district’s total fund balance, including restricted funds, is approximately $3.5 million. 

Aho said many agencies are facing structural deficits. Costs continue to rise, which puts ongoing pressure on the operating budget. To build a sustainable budget, Aho said they worked to make some staffing adjustments from full-time to part-time, reduce discretionary expenditures and cut program costs for services and supplies. 

Chair Irwin said the proposed budget would use some funding from the reserves, and he asked if that would be an ongoing issue in coming years. Staff explained that unexpected costs are typically covered by the reserves, and they budget conservatively wherever possible, so hopefully the ultimate costs will be lower than expected.  

Irwin said he would not want to cut any park services or recreation programs, “so I think this budget does a good job for this year of meeting the stopgap.”

The board voted 3-0 to approve the preliminary budget. 

Aho shared an emotional farewell at the end of his final meeting. “It’s been a pleasure serving the board, and I’m going to miss it,” he said.  

Irwin said, “You saw us through the whole Measure J project, and that project was unbelievable. … Thank you for your leadership in steering it and seeing it to fruition with us.”

The next meeting of the FORPD Board of Directors is scheduled for July 15.